MIAMI -- As diminutive as David Eckstein is, Mike Scioscia doesn't hesitate to stress his value to the club.

"When you start seeing guys over 5-foot-7 out there (at shortstop), you know something's wrong," Scioscia said.

That was the case Saturday, when Eckstein sat out his second straight game because of an injury suffered in batting practice before Friday's game.

Eckstein took a fungo off the bat of Scioscia and threw it to first. At the precise time that Eckstein released the ball, a Garret Anderson line drive came right at Eckstein's head, causing him to throw up his hands.

The ball caught the meaty part of Eckstein's left hand under the thumb, causing it to turn black and blue immediately, but after the game he said the swelling had become minimal.

The Angels replaced him with Benji Gil and announced that he would be examined in Miami and have X-rays. The X-rays proved negative and he was listed as day-to-day at game time.

On Saturday, Eckstein hit off a tee and then engaged in soft toss to gauge his pain threshold.

"Once we went to soft toss, it was very quick before I was shut down," Eckstein said. "There was a sharp pain when I extended through the ball. I could grip it, but when I swung, it was hard to put anything behind it."

To compensate for his loss in the field and at the top of the order, Scioscia penciled in center fielder Eric Owens in the leadoff spot and kept Gil at shortstop, batting sixth.

"He showed a lot of improvement today, but we didn't feel it's far enough along that he could do what he needs to do with the bat," Scioscia said.

"He wasn't real crisp. There was a little bit of discomfort through the (hitting) range."

Scioscia said Eckstein was a possibility for a late-inning defensive replacement or to pinch-run and added that it was possible that he would be in the lineup Sunday.