Prying Josh Hamilton out of right field isn’t like pulling teeth, but he’d rather be in the field.

“I just listen to Sosh,” Hamilton said. “I kind of fight him on it, then I’m like ‘OK.’ ”

Physically, Hamilton says he’s fine. Manager Mike Scioscia‘s motivation for using him as the designated hitter Friday against the Baltimore Orioles was pretty clear: The Angels have a 1 p.m. game tomorrow and he decided to give Hamilton an easier time Friday night by keeping him out of the field.

It’s wise to proceed with caution with Hamilton, who is 31 years old and has averaged 123 games a season in his first six major-league seasons. Hamilton hasn’t missed a game for the Angels this season, but his workload isn’t bothering Scioscia yet.

“Injuries are always going to crop up,” Scioscia said. “We monitor our guys, try to keep them above the line for risk all the time. I don’t think we’re at that right now. We’re trying to be proactive with some guys, give them a chance to maybe freshen up int he DH spot.”