David Freese’s return to Angels could be delayed
Angels third baseman David Freese is injured July 22 by a pitched ball that hit him in the hand, fracturing his right index finger. The Angels were playing Minnesota in Anaheim.
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David Freese had hoped to rejoin the Angels this week, but his inability to grip a baseball without discomfort has put that timetable in jeopardy.
Freese, the Angels’ third baseman, suffered a broken finger when he was hit by a pitch on July 22. He had hoped to return in three weeks, and he has resumed hitting, but Manager Mike Scioscia said Freese cannot yet throw.
“It’s getting better,” Scioscia said Sunday, “but it’s not where it needs to be for him to go out and play third base in a rehab game.”
To accelerate Freese’s recovery, Scioscia said the Angels could send him on a minor league rehabilitation assignment as a designated hitter, then activate him in the major leagues as soon as he can throw freely.
Freese is batting .240 and ranks fourth on the Angels with 11 home runs.
Conor Gillaspie, acquired from the Chicago White Sox to fill in for Freese, is batting .228 overall and .190 in 11 games with the Angels. He entered Sunday’s game hitless in his past 15 at-bats.
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