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SALT LAKE CITY — When Cameron Maybin singled in the bottom of the first inning of his rehab start with the Salt Lake Bees, he wanted to make sure his knee felt fine, so the Los Angeles Angels outfielder ran at his first opportunity he got.
Maybin stole second, sliding under a tag to barely beat out a strong throw from Colorado Springs catcher Rene Garcia
“When I got on first, I said to myself, 'I got to test (my knee) out,'” said Maybin, who was placed on the disabled list with a right knee injury on July 19. “Being able to swipe that bag and not be apprehensive and being able to play my game, I’m happy with the outcome.”
Los Angeles sent Maybin to the Bees Friday for a rehab start — his first action since the knee injury. He said the knee felt fine and it showed with the stolen base. The outfielder finished the day 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and the stolen base for the Bees, which lost 4-3.
The outfielder was pulled after the seventh inning, as scheduled for his rehab. He’s scheduled to start in Salt Lake again Saturday and play a full nine innings before he is expected to return in Los Angeles Sunday, where the Angels are wrapping up a series against Oakland.
Maybin was batting .238 for Los Angeles when he suffered the injury. He also leads the team with 25 stolen bases, which remains second among American League players this season.
Maybin said he wants to return to Los Angeles as soon as possible to help the Angels’ push for a playoff spot. Los Angeles entered Friday just 2.5 games back of the second wild card spot.
“We’re still right in the mix, right in the middle of things (and) we still like our chances,” he said. “It’ll be fun to get back, add some energy to that lineup and hopefully do something special this year. … It’s a quick turnaround but it’s that time of the year that it’s got to be a quick turnaround.”
