Back in spring training, Angels starter Joel Pineiro developed some stiffness in his shoulder. It wasn't considered a huge problem, but it did put Pineiro behind the rest of the team's starters, and he began the year on the disabled list. Now there's good news: After some successful rehab starts and bullpen sessions, Pineiro's all better, and he has been activated from the DL.
Pineiro is in line to get the Angels' start on Saturday against the Rays, and while the coaching staff may not expect him to be 100% from the get go, it shouldn't be long before he settles into a groove. Pineiro posted a 3.84 ERA over 23 starts for the Angels a year ago, and they'll be looking for more of the same.
This is a welcome story for a team that's given starts to Scott Kazmir, Matt Palmer, and the talented-but-not-quite-ready Tyler Chatwood.With Kazmir on the DL already, it looks like Palmer's the odd man out here.