THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels activated slugger Vladimir Guerrero from the disabled list on Monday and optioned outfielder Reggie Willits to triple-A Salt Lake.
Guerrero, who possesses one of the strongest throwing arms in the game, has yet to play right field this season because of a torn pectoral muscle on the right side of his chest. He first felt discomfort after making a throw during an exhibition game April 2 at Dodger Stadium.
The 2004 AL MVP served as a designated hitter in eight games before he was sidelined, going 8 for 32 with a homer and three RBIs. Guerrero was the DH again Monday night in his first game since April 15, batting third in the opener of a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.
This was Guerrero’s sixth DL stint since coming up to the big leagues with the Montreal Expos in 1996. He also underwent off-season knee surgery.
The Angels were 20-15 in Guerrero’s absence, and they will continue to use him in the DH role until further notice, with Juan Rivera and Bobby Abreu flanking Torii Hunter in the outfield. Hunter led the club with 10 homers, 37 RBIs and a .314 average through the first 43 games.
"Vladdy’s going to add more power, more depth and a lot more strength to our lineup," second baseman Howie Kendrick said. "I mean, adding a guy that’s done what he’s done, how can we not get even better? Hopefully, it won’t take him long to get it going, and we’ll be ready to roll."
Guerrero hit over .300 in each of his previous 12 seasons, the longest active streak in the majors for anyone with a minimum of 3,000 at-bats, and entered this season with a career average of .323.
The eight-time all-star is seven homers shy of 400. Only five other players with a career average of .320 or better have hit more home runs than Guerrero — Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig and Stan Musial.
"With Vladdy back, it’s only going to make us that much more dangerous," Kendrick said. "But we have a good nucleus. Even when somebody goes down, the next guy steps up. That’s why they call us a team."
The two-time defending AL West champion Angels have won 21 of the last 25 games in which Guerrero has homered. They entered Monday three games behind first-place Texas with a .282 team batting average, second in the league behind Toronto. But their 35 home runs were second fewest in the AL — just four more than Oakland.
"There were some dry patches when we didn’t have Vlad in there, and there was an obvious effect on getting your groupings where you wanted to. But I think we’ve been more consistent than I thought we would be," manager Mike Scioscia said. "Now it’s time to really get things settled, and hopefully we’ll move toward that with Vlad back in the lineup."
This was Willits’ second stint with the club this season. He was recalled on April 14 after the death of rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart in a car crash, then was recalled again on May 5 when third baseman Brandon Wood was optioned to triple-A. Willits played in nine games, going 2 for 9 with one RBI.
