Freese to play rehab games for Triple-A Salt Lake

ANAHEIM -- Angels third baseman David Freese will be with the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees on Saturday, serving as the designated hitter for what he hopes is the first of only a couple of rehab games.

Freese, out since May 2 with a non-displaced fracture in his right middle finger, is lined up to join the Angels by early next week -- even though he probably won't be 100 percent by then.

"It's a tolerance thing," Freese said. "It's not going to be completely healed."

Angels manager Mike Scioscia wouldn't specify how many rehab games Freese would need, but called Saturday "an important workout day." Freese was batting .202/.266/.286 before a Colby Lewis fastball put him on the shelf, but was showing signs of turning a corner at the plate.

Freese will likely start at third base on Sunday, and perhaps one other time on Monday.

"The main thing is just to show them I can play the field," he said. "The hitting is fine."

Freese, who will play with a sleeve on his injured finger, threw across the diamond on Thursday and Friday and said his latest session "was a huge difference. So that's a good thing."