Anaheim placed OF-L Darin Erstad on the disabled list yesterday, though the move was retroactive to the 20th. A week earlier Erstad left the Angels' game against Seattle in the fourth with an inflamed hamstring tendon. After an MRI indicated that there was only swelling and nothing appeared torn, Anaheim opted to keep Erstad active in the hope that he would recover without a trip to the DL. However, the Angels are not confident that he'll be ready to play anytime in the next week and they have a series coming up on the Toronto turf, which they wouldn't want Erstad to play. Provided the club doesn't discover any additional damage, I expect Erstad will rejoin the team when they begin their next homestand, May 6th.

Anaheim called up OF-L Gary Johnson to replace Erstad on the roster. Anaheim drafted Johnson out of Brigham Young University with their 19th round pick of the 1999 draft. He finished out the 1999 season at Boise in the Short-Season Northwest League and then split 2000 between A+ Lake Elsinore in the California League and AA Erie in the Eastern League. He returned to AA Erie for 2001 and spent last year at AAA Salt Lake in the Pacific Coast League, though he reportedly missed much of the season with a torn oblique and broken arm.

The 27-year-old has displayed solid plate discipline as well as marginal power and speed skills, so he should serve Anaheim well as a reserve outfielder. OF-R Eric Owens and OF-S Jeff DaVanon will share the playing time made available by Erstad's injury. DaVanon joined the team on Tuesday when the Angels also activated 2B-L Adam Kennedy from the DL, placed RHP Kevin Appier on the disabled list, and sent 2B-S Chone Figgins back to the minors.

Kennedy's recovery went smoothly and he has resumed his second base duties. Back spasms sidelined IF-R Benji Gil for almost a week while Kennedy was on the disabled list, so Figgins saw considerable playing time. However, since both players are now healthy, the Angels want Figgins back at AAA where he'll play regularly.

All the little problems that Anaheim was able to avoid last year, making their playoff and World Series bids possible, appear to have caught up with them. In addition to the troubles that have put Angels on the DL, the team continues to be plagued with numerous day-to-day injuries. 3B-R Troy Glaus is currently sidelined with an infected little toe on his left foot. Anaheim doesn't want to risk losing Glaus to a DL trip if the infection grows worse, so he's sitting out a few days and taking antibiotics.

Kevin Appier left his April 19th start against Seattle after only two innings because of a sore elbow. An MRI revealed a strained flexor muscle in his forearm rather than a damaged UCL, so Appier expects to rejoin the team within in a few days of May 5th when he is first eligible to leave the DL.

RHP Scot Shields replaced Appier in the rotation, which left their bullpen a little thin. Consequently, Anaheim sent down OF-R Julio Ramirez and called up LHP Rich Rodriguez. Ramirez was in the majors as a defensive replacement for the outfield, which is a practice I generally don't support and with their injury difficulties the Angels could no longer afford to have him taking up a roster spot. The 40-year-old Rodriguez missed much of 2002, following shoulder surgery to repair a circulation problem, and pitched poorly after his return. He also hasn't pitched particularly well at AAA Salt Lake this season, so I don't expect much of him in the majors and Anaheim will likely want to demote him when Appier returns.

Anaheim reliever RHP Francisco Rodriguez and San Francisco starter RHP Jason Schmidt share the unhappy distinction of being the first players to be placed on bereavement leave. Although it wasn't highlighted in discussions of the new labor agreement, the latest CBA apparently created a new roster status to address the issue of players leaving their teams to visit deathbeds and/or attend funerals. Teams can now place a player on bereavement leave and replace them on the roster for a minimum of three and maximum of seven days.

Rodriguez left the team on April 23rd to attend his grandmother's funeral in Venezuela. Anaheim called up RHP Derrick Turnbow to replace Rodriguez on the roster. Philadelphia drafted Turnbow out of high school with their 5th round pick of the 1997 draft, but the Angels grabbed him from the Phillies in the 1999 Rule 5 draft. Jumped from A Piedmont in the South Atlantic League to the majors, Turnbow struggled with this command. Back in the minors in 2001, a broken arm then cut short season and kept him out for much of 2002 as well.

Turnbow's performance last year indicated he needed to spend at least a couple months in AA and a half season in AAA before thinking about returning to the majors. However, the Angels were seduced by Turnbow's overwhelming success over his first few weeks at AA Arkansas in the Texas League. The 24-year-old held a 19:5 K:BB over 14 IP with only 4 H and no home runs allowed for a 0.00 ERA over seven appearances at AA when Anaheim called him up. Predictably, he hasn't carried that performance level to the majors, where he currently has a 3:3 K:BB with 3 H allowed in 2.1 IP for a 3.86 ERA, so I suspect he'll return to the minors when Rodriguez rejoins the team. Nevertheless, with additional seasoning, he could easily develop into a quality reliever, available for regular major league work as early as the second half of the season.