ANGELS NOTEBOOK: RIVERA SHOOTING FOR JUNE RETURN.

Byline: DOUG PADILLA 

Staff Writer

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Juan Rivera's initial fears that his career had ended have subdued and now he optimistically targets June for his return.

Rivera, who made his first appearance in camp Monday, broke his left tibia running out a ground ball to first base in a Dec. 22 winter ball game in Venezuela. He said he hit a groundball to first base and tried to beat the pitcher to the bag.

Instead of touching the inside of first base, the pitcher stepped on the outside of the bag and Rivera stepped on his leg. Rivera's leg snapped at the calf, leaving his foot dangling and pointing in the wrong direction.

"I'm 35, 40 percent," said Rivera, who will spend the next five weeks doing rehabilitation in Arizona. "I was in Miami and I talked to the doctor and he told me I was (healing) fast."

Rivera had been given the OK to walk without crutches, but said his leg ended up being too weak without them. So he will give the crutches another week.

Early speculation had Rivera returning around the All-Star break in July.

Manager Mike Scioscia said he did not have enough information from Rivera's examinations to predict when his outfielder might return.

"He's obviously disappointed where he is now with what happened in winter, but he's upbeat and feels good," Scioscia said.

When spring training ends, Rivera will return to Miami to have his leg X-rayed and re-examined by the doctors who performed his surgery.

No worries: If Jered Weaver does not get on a mound by the end of this week, it would leave the young right-hander with just four weeks to get in an entire spring of work.

Scioscia said he still is not worried that Weaver will be out for the start of the season. But he also has told Weaver to proceed at a sensible pace and not aim at being ready the first week.

"A lot of guys have a biological clock," Scioscia said. "They see Opening Day come around and they think they have to be ready. You have to take that out of a player's mentality because you want a guy to be on a mound when he's ready."

This year's schedule gives the Angels little wiggle room in the early going to skip a fifthstarter. The Angels have just two off days in the first 35 days of the season, -- April 9 and 19. That means a fifth starter will be needed April 6 against the Oakland Athletics.

Because of the April 9 offday, the fifth starter would not be needed again until more than a week later on April 14 at Boston, and then not again until April 25 at home against the Detroit Tigers.

Scioscia said Dustin Moseley, Chris Bootcheck or Hector Carrasco would be considered as a fill-in starter if necessary.

Intrasquad game: The Angels will have an intrasquad game today in preparation for Thursday's Cactus League opener. John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar are among 12 pitchers that will be used.

Scioscia said that of the regular position players, only Garret Anderson and Vladimir Guerrero are not expected to get an at-bat.

"They don't need it," Scioscia said. "They will get plenty of work moving forward."

Making adjustments: The Angels worked on cut-offs and relay throws, which allowed new starters Gary Matthews Jr. in center and Howie Kendrick at second to get used to each other.

"There are some adjustments that certainly Howie is going to have to make with Vlad's arm and the way Gary Matthews can throw," Scioscia said. "This is why you want to do these drills to find the range. The instincts are fine for the infielders. It was a good drill."

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