Erstad to Be Out at Least a Month

NEW YORK —  An MRI test revealed two “significant” strains in Darin Erstad’s right hamstring, Manager Mike Scioscia said Tuesday, and the Angel first baseman is expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks.

Erstad played in only 67 games last season because of right hamstring tendinitis. The strains he suffered Saturday while trying to score from second against Tampa Bay are in different spots but are still severe.

“It will heal, and he’ll be back,” Scioscia said. “But hamstrings are different animals that take more time.”

Erstad was batting .264 with nine doubles, 20 runs batted in and 19 runs when he was put on the disabled list Sunday for the fifth time in his nine-year career. He was replaced on the roster by 21-year-old Casey Kotchman, who was called up from double-A Arkansas and probably will get most of the playing time at first base.

Unlike many youngsters who come to the big leagues and have few expectations placed on them, Kotchman, a first-round pick in 2001 and the son of Angel minor league manager Tom Kotchman, was thrust into the starting lineup Sunday and into the sixth spot in the order Tuesday night against the Yankees.

“We expect him to contribute and to produce,” Scioscia said. “If we didn’t, he wouldn’t be up here. He has a special makeup to handle it, and that’s why he’s here. We have a need for a guy who can swing the bat with consistency and play a high level of defense at first.”

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Left fielder Jose Guillen, who injured his right knee and ankle sliding into second base Sunday and was taken off the field on a gurney, is scheduled to be examined by a physician here today. Guillen’s injuries were less severe than feared, but he said his knee and ankle were still a little swollen and “pretty sore” Tuesday. He probably won’t play until Thursday at the earliest.

“Trust me, I will do the best I can to play,” Guillen said.

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Reliever Brendan Donnelly, who removed himself from a minor league rehabilitation appearance after two batters Sunday, was diagnosed with tendinitis in his right elbow, and the right-hander will remain with triple-A Salt Lake to receive treatment.

No timetable has been set for his next appearance, but General Manager Bill Stoneman and Scioscia said they believed the setback to be minor. Donnelly, sidelined all season because of complications stemming from a broken nose, was supposed to join the Angels on Friday in Baltimore, but now he won’t be activated until next week at the earliest.

“We’ll see if this resolves itself over a period of days,” Stoneman said.

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Tim Salmon, on the disabled list because of an inflamed left knee, has increased his workout regimen to include live batting practice and running the bases. He probably will start a three-game rehabilitation assignment with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Friday and be activated Tuesday.

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Times staff writer Bill Shaikin contributed to this report.