DiSarcina Hopes His Role Expands Soon : Baseball: Shortstop will find out Monday if he can start rehabilitation. Until then, he tries to lend support to teammates.

ANAHEIM —  If it weren’t for the cast on his left hand, Friday might have seemed like just another day for Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina.

But nothing has been the same since the Aug. 3 game when DiSarcina tore ligaments in his left thumb while sliding into second base attempting to break up a double play.

He dressed for batting practice Friday afternoon, but could not swing a bat. At game time, he joined his teammates in the dugout, but could not play.

The best DiSarcina could do was ride a stationary bike, run wind sprints with the pitchers in the outfield and hope for a swift recovery.

He’ll know more Monday when he is scheduled to meet with Dr. Norm Zemel, who placed a pin in DiSarcina’s thumb Aug. 8. DiSarcina expects Zemel to remove the pin Monday.

“I’ll know then whether I keep the cast on or start range-of-motion exercises,” DiSarcina said.

He is unsure whether he’ll be able to return in time for the playoffs. He’s determined not to think that far ahead. Instead, he’s focused on the day-to-day grind of staying fit, staying prepared to play if and when his thumb allows him to return to the field this season.

But 30 sweaty minutes on a bike that never moves can’t take the sting out of an All-Star season cut short.

Before the injury, DiSarcina batted .317, far ahead of his career average of .242, and made the American League All-Star team for the first time. His meteoric improvement mirrored the Angels’ rise to the top of the AL West standings.

The Angels keep winning, continuing their stranglehold on the lead, but DiSarcina has been reduced to a mere observer. It’s a role he despises.

“Knowing you can’t be out there when you’re a big part of something--and it’s something special--can be a very disheartening experience,” he said before the Angels’ game against the Baltimore Orioles Friday night at Anaheim Stadium.

“It’s easy to get down and depressed. But when you step back from the situation, it’s best for the team to give support any way you can. Moral support, hanging around with the guys in the clubhouse--that’s my role now. I’m not going to be one of those guys who goes on the DL and you don’t see them for two weeks.”

He’s not willing to mope around the house, cursing his wretched bad luck, wondering why it happened in the midst of his finest pro season.

So he rides, runs and tries to stay optimistic.

“It’s a bitter pill to swallow,” DiSarcina said. “You try to direct all your frustration and emotions toward your goal of getting healthy and not let anything deter you from staying in shape.

“Unless you’re playing every day, you’re not going to be in playing shape. But you do your best to stay close to it.”

Perhaps most difficult is resisting the temptation to rush back to the lineup before he’s ready. DiSarcina has said all along he won’t do that, won’t make things worse by returning too quickly.

Damion Easley has filled in capably so far, even if his .213 average going into Friday can’t compare to DiSarcina’s.

“I think he’s done a great job,” DiSarcina said of Easley, who had been the starting second baseman. “From what I’ve seen he’s made some great plays and all the routine ones.”

Of his return, DiSarcina said: “The way I’m approaching it, I’m not going to put myself out there and not help the team. I have to put my ego aside until I’m ready to play again.”