Glaus Plans to Return to Third

CLEVELAND â€”  Troy Glaus is happy to serve as the Angels’ designated hitter for the remainder of this season because he’s only 3 1/2 months removed from surgery on his right shoulder and hasn’t begun the throwing portion of his rehabilitation program.

But the slugger has no intention of being a future full-time DH. Asked Friday whether he planned to return to third base next season, Glaus, 28, said, “Absolutely. I’ve been fortunate enough to be here a long time, but I don’t feel old yet.�

There has been speculation that if the Angels re-sign Glaus this winter, they would move him to DH or first base to make room for hot-hitting third-base prospect Dallas McPherson and minimize the risk of further damage to Glaus’ shoulder, which he injured seriously diving for ground balls this season and in 2003.

Glaus, who will be a free agent this winter, even worked out at first base for a few days in May in anticipation of a switch before deciding to have surgery, but Angel followers shouldn’t have read too much into that development.

“They moved me to first because I couldn’t play third, I couldn’t make the throws, and Ersty was hurt,� Glaus said, referring to Angel first baseman Darin Erstad. “That was an option, but it wasn’t really a discussion. I have no intention of making that switch next year. My intent is to come back and play third base.�

And to play it as aggressively as he has for the last six years, even if he’s on the artificial surface in Tampa Bay or Minnesota, the fields on which he suffered his shoulder injuries.

“There’s no need to play differently, because my shoulder is fixed now,� Glaus said. “It was beat up for a long time, and it got to the point where I couldn’t throw. As stable as it is now, I don’t see any problems going back to third.�

Even on the turf at Minnesota and Tampa Bay?

“In game speed, I can’t think about that,� he said. “Would I dive for a ball the same way? Probably. I don’t have time to think about that. You can’t change the way you play. The guy who doesn’t go full speed is the guy who usually gets hurt.�

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Two consecutive ineffective starts won’t cost John Lackey his rotation spot, at least for now. Manager Mike Scioscia said Friday he would use Monday’s off day to skip Aaron Sele in the rotation and go with Bartolo Colon, Kelvim Escobar and Jarrod Washburn in a three-game series against Toronto beginning Tuesday in Anaheim.

Lackey, who had a 7.44 earned run average in six August starts, will pitch Sunday against the Indians and Friday against the Chicago White Sox. Scioscia has mapped out the rotation so he can use his best two pitchers, Colon and Escobar, in Oakland on Oct. 2 and 3, the final two days of the season.

Escobar, if needed, would start the season finale on three days’ rest, “but he did that a couple of times for Toronto when they were in it,� Scioscia said, “and he’s comfortable with it.�