ANGELS NOTEBOOK: FULLMER INJURY FORCES CHANGES.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - The ripple effect from Brad Fullmer's season-ending knee injury was felt immediately Friday, when Tim Salmon and Jeff DaVanon looked at the lineup card and realized their immediate and possibly long-term futures with the Angels will be impacted.

Salmon started at designated hitter and will do so against right-handed pitchers for the foreseeable future. DaVanon batted leadoff and started in right field, beginning an audition in which he has a chance to show the Angels he can be their long-term answer there.

Fullmer, the Montclair Prep of Panorama City alum who ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee in Thursday's 10-6 loss to Seattle, will undergo surgery within the week and is expected to be out six to nine months. His injury enables the Angels to accelerate Salmon's transition to the designated-hitter role.

Salmon, who had offseason knee surgery, has committed five errors, second on the team to third baseman Troy Glaus. He will play right field most of the time against left-handed starters but will yield to DaVanon, who has perhaps the most diverse skill set on the roster, against right-handers.

DaVanon has made several outstanding catches in right field, including bringing a probable home run ball back into the park, but not catching it, to help the Angels salvage a one-run victory in Boston.

Salmon is a career .285 hitter, .283 as a DH. But he's just 9 for 50 (.180) this season as a DH.

``He's a little bit better than me,'' Salmon said of DaVanon's fielding ability. ``Right now, everybody on the team needs to put their self-desires aside. It's not full time from the standpoint in that I don't want to lose touch with my defensive skills.''

Fullmer's loss and DaVanon's placement in the starting lineup weakens the Angels' depth, but sources said they will pursue starting pitching help via trade before acquiring another bat.

Though no trade appears imminent, if the rotation does not pick up quickly the Angels are expected to intensify efforts as the July 31 deadline approaches. They also have not closed the door completely on left-hander Chuck Finley, who remains unsigned.

The Angels' willingness to stand pat is a considerable vote of confidence for DaVanon, 29, who is hitting .333 with nine homers and 23 RBI and had three consecutive two-homer games this month.

``We just want him to be a good player,'' general manager Bill Stoneman said. ``We don't want him to be more than he needs to be. He's going to get his share of home runs, RBI, and with his speed he's going to score a lot of runs.''

The loss of Fullmer gives Stoneman's team the biggest test of its fortitude this season. Fullmer's .306 average was second among regulars, and cornerstones such as Glaus (.256) and shortstop David Eckstein (.244) have not come through.

``Somebody's going to get hot, and that solves a lot of problems,'' Stoneman said. ``They're the same players who showed that resilience last year. All it takes is a couple wins to make everyone feel good. It'll take some people to lead the charge.''

As for a starting rotation that has pitched beyond five-plus innings just two times in eight games?

``When you see inconsistency, you start to get concerned,'' Stoneman said. ``You have to get past that. It takes work. It takes patience. You still can't operate on a knee-jerk fashion and expect to improve things for the longer term. I'll make a move when I get the opportunity if it's going to help the team.''

--Figgins recalled: Chone Figgins was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake to take Fullmer's roster spot because he can play shortstop, second base and the outfield, and he proved he could hit in two previous stints this season.

Shortstop Alfredo Amezaga, hitting .348 at Salt Lake, did not get the recall, but Stoneman hinted he will figure in their middle-infield plans at some point.