Angels expect Kendry Morales to be ready for start of spring training

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First baseman Kendry Morales, who suffered a season-ending fracture above his left ankle when he jumped into home plate after a game-winning home run May 29, has begun running and hitting off a tee and is expected to be ready for full baseball activities by the start of spring training.

‘We’re anticipating him to be full go in spring training,’ Manager Mike Scioscia said of Morales, who in 2009 hit .306 wih 34 home runs and 108 runs batted in.

‘Obviously, once you get on the field and get into some more extensive activities, you’re going to take it slow. Does it mean he’ll play our first spring-training game? I don’t know yet. But when he comes into spring training, we expect he’ll be full go for all the drills, and if not, we’ll adjust on that.’

A return of a healthy Morales would be a huge boost for the Angels, who struggled offensively during an 80-82 season in which they failed to make the playoffs for only the second time in seven years. But the Angels would still like to upgrade their offense with the acquisition of a free agent such as Carl Crawford or Adrian Beltre or another productive bat through a trade.

‘Kendry’s return could be enough, but I think the depth portion of our offense needs to be addressed,’ Scioscia said. ‘We had a lot of guys that underperformed. I think that we do need to add offensive depth, and it might not be the one impact guy, but it definitely needs to be guys that have an idea what to do in the batter’s box.’

--Mike DiGiovanna in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.