BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Snow May Return This Weekend

First baseman J.T. Snow, who originally was scheduled to stay at Vancouver until the September call-ups after his July 26 demotion, might be recalled this weekend.

Snow is hitting .422 in his last 11 games, with seven doubles, three home runs and 15 runs batted in.

“I think I’m ready,” Snow said, “but it’s up to them.”

Angel Manager Buck Rodgers said that if Snow continues to have a good week, he likely will rejoin the team by Monday for the start of their trip in Baltimore.

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Angel second baseman Damion Easley decided Tuesday after meeting with Dr. Lewis Yocum that he definitely will have surgery for his chronic shin splits.

The only question is when.

Easley’s wife, Dawn, who is pregnant, was hospitalized over the weekend because of a kidney infection, Easley said, which forced her to go into false labor. Doctors also discovered that she has fluid in her lungs, which is expected to keep her hospitalized until Thursday or Friday.

The baby is fine, Easley said, and still is scheduled to be born in October.

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Angel leadoff hitter Luis Polonia, who has batted .500 the last eight games to raised his average to .272, complained to Rodgers about being kept out of the starting lineup.

Rodgers’ reasoning was simple. Left-hander Tom Bolton was starting for the Tigers, and Polonia, who is in the option year of his contract, is hitting only .223 against lefties this season.

Despite Polonia’s recent burst, he still is hitting well below his .299 career average, and his .321 on-base percentage is the second-lowest among Angel regulars.

“Some guys can handle an option year,” Rodgers said, “some guys panic. When you start thinking about yourself over what you job is to the team, you put a lot of pressure on yourself. It’s self-inflicted, and it’s hard to play that way.”