By Kyle Hines
The Anaheim Angels recalled Salt Lake Stingers'' infielder Chone Figgins over the weekend, just in time for a visit to the White House.
Anaheim called Figgins up to fill a vacancy left in the roster by the departure of closer Troy Percival, who the Angels placed on the disabled list with an injured hip.
'Chone''s a player who has been progressing,' said Tony Reagins, director of player development for the Angels. 'He plays the game the way our organization wants it to be played.'
Reagins said that with an opening in the roster, the Angels'' organization wanted to utilize Figgins'' versatility and give him a chance to play, whether it is at secondbase, shortstop, outfield or just running the bases.
'His (Figgins'') value is he can do different things,' Reagins said. 'But at the same time he can be an everyday player as well.'
Figgins met up with his major league teammates in Tampa, where the Angels took two of three games from the Devil Rays.
Figgins saw limited action as a pinch runner in Sunday nights'' ballgame.
Following the series the club traveled to Baltimore for a two-game series with the Orioles.
Prior to Tuesday night''s series opener, Figgins and the rest of the world champion Angels made a trip to the White House for a visit with President George W. Bush. The visit consisted of a reception in the White House Rose Garden, just one of the perks of being the winners of last years'' World Series.
Tuesday night Figgins filled in at centerfield. He hit a single and scored a run in his only at bat. But it wasn''t enough, as the Orioles scored six runs in the first four innings and coasted to a 12-4 win.
Back in Salt Lake, the Stingers sorely missed the presence of their leadoff batter.
Figgins'' departure, accompanied by an injury to infielder Alfredo Amezaga, left a huge hole in the middle of the Stingers'' infield and the top of its lineup.
'I''ll be honest, we miss Figgins and Amezaga,' Stingers manager Mike Brumley said. 'They''re our one and two hitters, they account for 140 runs between their RBIs and runs scored ... Any team in baseball you take that scenario out, you''re going to see them not perform as well as they can.'