Third basemen look for work

What are Wilson Betemit and Tony Abreu going to do now that Nomar Garciaparra has occupied third base to create an opening at first base for rookie James Loney?

Well, for one thing, the displaced third basemen are not giving up on their respective seasons.

“I’ll play any position and I’ll keep working hard and I’ll do whatever they want,” Abreu, considered the Dodgers’ second baseman of the future, said through an interpreter before hitting the winning pinch home run Tuesday against Arizona.

Said Betemit: “I just have to wait. Every time they give me a chance, I just have to go out and play.”

Betemit has thrived as a pinch-hitter, going seven for 15 with three homers, two doubles and eight runs batted in. But he is hitting only .197 overall and has failed to recapture the form that made him a valuable second-half addition last season after joining the Dodgers on July 28.

“This guy’s a good player,” Manager Grady Little said of Betemit. “He’s done a great job for us coming off the bench, and for the time being that will remain his role.”

Abreu, who has cooled considerably since his batting average peaked at .382 on June 3, will assume the role of a utility player, replacing Garciaparra, second baseman Jeff Kent and shortstop Rafael Furcal when they are given a day off. Or, the Dodgers could decide to send Abreu back to triple-A Las Vegas once infielder Ramon Martinez is activated from the disabled list in a week or so.

“We’ll see,” Little said when asked whether Abreu would be better served playing every day in the minor leagues. “I don’t know how this is going to work out altogether just yet.”

Betemit said he is feeling more confident than he did earlier in the season, when he hit .125 in April and then lost his everyday job to Andy LaRoche, who has been sent back to Las Vegas.

“I feel much better right now,” said Betemit, averaging a home run every 15.1 at-bats before Tuesday. “I know I can play here.”

The flip side of a reduced role for Betemit and Abreu is increased playing time for Loney, who has impressed since his promotion from the minors June 10.

“It’s a great situation and I think the opportunity to play there and get a chance is something that I look forward to,” Loney said of the opening at first base. “Obviously, I feel like the hard work that I put in has a chance to pay off.”

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Randy Johnson will return to Arizona’s rotation Thursday, just in time to start for the Diamondbacks in the finale of their four-game series against the Dodgers. The 43-year-old left-hander, recently diagnosed with a herniated disk, acknowledged the possibility of a third back surgery. “Let’s just get through the Dodger start and not kind of look too far down the road,” he said.... Dodgers reliever Chin-hui Tsao, sidelined since May 20 because of a strained right shoulder, is scheduled to begin a rehabilitation assignment tonight at Las Vegas. He is expected to pitch one inning in his first appearance.... Russell Martin is virtually assured of becoming the first Canadian catcher to start an All-Star game. He leads the New York Mets’ Paul Lo Duca by more than 200,000 votes with less than two days to go in the voting.

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ben.bolch@latimes.com