Matthews has no ill will for Rangers

Maybe if Gary Matthews Jr. had really wanted to stay in Texas, or the Rangers hadn’t given him his first opportunity to be an everyday player, or the fans and front office hadn’t treated him so well, he would have felt animosity toward his old team when he returned to Texas on Friday for the first time since signing a five-year, $50-million deal with the Angels.

But not a trace of ill will could be found in the voice of the Angels center fielder -- and the team’s latest cleanup batter -- Friday.

“I truly miss the people here; they were really good to me, and that’s something I’ll never forget,” said Matthews, who played three seasons for the Rangers. “When you’re here for a little while, you develop true friendships with people, and I knew that was something I was going to miss.”

The Rangers made a token two-year offer to Matthews last winter, but he already had his sights set on Southern California, where his 8-year-old son, Gavin, lives. The Angels’ commitment to Matthews made his decision a no-brainer.

“I’m sure [the Rangers] made what they perceived to be a good effort at the time,” said Matthews, who drove in two runs in Friday night’s 6-3 victory over Texas. “Obviously, what they felt I was worth and what I felt I was worth were completely different. It didn’t work out, but I’m forever grateful for the relationships I developed here. ... I wish these guys the best, but I’m happy where I am, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

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Shea Hillenbrand, team player? The Blue Jays might get a kick out of that one.

Hillenbrand had several run-ins with Toronto Manager John Gibbons last season, usually over playing time, and he nearly came to blows with Gibbons after writing defamatory comments in the clubhouse and refusing to sit in the dugout during a July 19 game. Hillenbrand was traded to San Francisco a few days later.

But this new Hillenbrand barely made a whimper when he was benched for a third straight game Friday, a relegation that might have resulted in a tantrum in the past.

“He talked to me -- everything is good,” Hillenbrand said of a pregame meeting with Manager Mike Scioscia. “I’ll get my opportunities. ... I have to be patient as a player and prepare, so when I’m put in a position to help the team, I’m ready.”

What would the old Hillenbrand have done in this situation? “Oh, you would have known about it,” he said.

Hillenbrand has no ammunition with which to fight Scioscia -- he’s batting .225 with no home runs and seven runs batted in and has six hits in his last 39 at-bats. Kendry Morales had three hits in four previous at-bats against Texas starter Vicente Padilla, so Scioscia started Morales at designated hitter Friday.

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Howie Kendrick, out since April 18 because of a broken bone on the back of his left hand, began working out with triple-A Salt Lake on Friday and could begin a rehabilitation assignment there in about a week. ... Scioscia said Garret Anderson, who is running, throwing and taking batting practice, is “ahead of schedule” in his rehab from a hip-flexor tear and could return within three weeks.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com