- The Story: The Angels are considering placing Brandon Wood on the disabled list. The Monkey Says: Wood supposedly is having some hip problems… how convenient. Moving Wood to the DL, which will likely happen when Izturis is ready to come off it, will allow the Halos to send Brandon back to the minors on rehab where he can try and fix his problems at the plate, similar to what they did with Howie Kendrick last season. If they go through with it, it will show just how desperate the Angels are to find some way to get Wood on track.
- The Story: Maicer Izturis is expected to see heavy playing time upon his return. The Monkey Says: Most of that time will be at third base and either first or second in the order. Erick Aybar has actually been coming on of late, so the Halos should probably let him continue to work on becoming a leadoff man and have Izturis bat second where Howie Kendrick has been struggling (although the Angel offense is more productive since he moved to #2).
- The Story: Jeff Mathis is set to resume baseball activities. The Monkey Says: This is obviously excellent progress for Mathis, but he is probably still a few weeks away from being activated from the disabled list which I am sure he is hoping is enough time for Mike Napoli to cool down from the torrid hot streak he is enjoying right now.
- The Story: The Angels are trailing in All-Star voting. The Monkey Says: As it stands right now, only Hideki Matsui and Torii Hunter have a chance at being named starters for the AL in the All-Star Game. Hunter is sixth in outfield voting, but he is within striking distance of the top three. As for Matsui, the Japanese contingent of voters haven’t been enough to overcome his poor season and he, ironically, is in second-place behind Vladimir Guerrero for the starting DH spot.
- The Story: Baseball America mock drafts have the Angels selecting Dylan Covey with the first of their three first-round picks. The Monkey Says: Most mocks have the Angels looking hard at Covey and pretty much any other right-handed pitcher with a first-round grade. The draft is June 7th.
- The Story: Chuck Finley, Fred Lynn and Tim Salmon will play in the celebrity softball game during All-Star Weekend. The Monkey Says: That still isn’t going to convince me to watch, although if Tawny Kitaen is on the opposing team of Finley, then maybe that would make things intriguing enough for me to take a look.
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