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SEATTLE (AP) — Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton should resume swinging a bat on Saturday, but he is not expected to play in the final series of the regular season.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Friday that he was hoping Hamilton would play against Seattle this weekend to help get ready for the postseason. Hamilton has played in just one game since Sept. 4 dealing with a sore muscle in his side and a sore shoulder.
Scioscia said Hamilton would go through defensive drills before Friday's game. The Angels plan at some point to have Hamilton face pitching either in a simulated situation or in Arizona at instructional league in an effort to get him ready for the playoffs.
"At some point he's got to see some velocity," Scioscia said.
Scioscia said there is still no timeline for starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker, who is recovering from an oblique strain. Shoemaker played catch at 150 feet on Friday, but Scioscia said he needs to be able to throw 200 feet and not have any setbacks before they will consider putting him on the mound.
Scioscia was optimistic that Shoemaker could be throwing from the mound sometime next week and potentially be in consideration as part of the Angels rotation for the AL division series. Shoemaker set an Angels rookie record with 16 victories this season and has a 1.49 ERA over his last 11 outings.
"We haven't made any decisions on playoff rotation," Scioscia said. "There are a lot of unanswered questions. We have to see where Matt Shoemaker is and see how guys come out of their starts. We're not going to commit to anything until we get closer."
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