Young gets second chance

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Sitting at his locker Saturday, Delwyn Young removed the blue tape wrapped around his right leg, revealing an inch-long gash on his shin. Told that he looked like a real second baseman, Young laughed.

“It’s baseball,” he said.

Over the last two years, the defensive part baseball for Young consisted of standing alone in the outfield, 200-plus feet removed from most of the action. But in the Dodgers’ 1-0 loss Saturday to the New York Mets, Young had to make three lunging plays in the middle infield in the first three innings and turn a double play in the fifth that resulted in him being flipped over and cut in the leg.

Questions about his ability to make such plays moved him to the outfield. Being out of options, meaning he would have to clear waivers if the Dodgers wanted to send the 25-year-old to the minors, is what moved him back, at least part-time. Not wanting to lose a 25-year-old switch-hitter who batted .337 at triple-A Las Vegas and .382 in 34 big-league at-bats last season, Manager Joe Torre said he wanted to give Young every chance to showcase his versatility and increase his odds of making the club.

Young has been open to the change, reporting to work early several days this spring to field ground balls hit to him by Larry Bowa and Mariano Duncan starting at 8:30 a.m. Torre said that Young could also be asked to work out at third base in the near future.

“He’s a young man and yet he certainly has a grip on the situation,” Torre said. “What I mean by that is the fact that he has no options left and he’s not sitting there saying, ‘Oh well, I’ve got to make the big leagues,’ which isn’t necessarily for sure. He certainly isn’t letting grass grow under his feet.”

Said Young: “I’d hate to go somewhere else. I know too many people here.”

Mixed fortune

Takashi Saito and Yhency Brazoban were scheduled to make their spring debuts on Tuesday, but it appears that only Brazoban will actually do so.

Saito probably won’t pitch on that day, Torre said, because of a cramp in the closer’s right calf that cut short his throwing session on Saturday. Torre and Saito said there wasn’t any cause for alarm, but the manager said Saito would be monitored closely over the next few days as a precaution. The 38-year old closer has a history of muscle problems and a strain of the same calf limited his activity at the start of camp last year.

Solid starts

Brad Penny threw two scoreless innings in his first spring appearance, as did Chan Ho Park and Hong-Chih Kuo.

Not long after Penny exited the game, he exited the stadium and was on his way to watch his friend Dan Henderson challenge Anderson Silva for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight title in Columbus, Ohio. Torre, who gave Penny permission to leave camp for a night, said the possible opening day starter would be back in Dodgertown today.

Schmidt not concerned

Jason Schmidt, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, said he wasn’t discouraged about his side session on Friday being canceled because of arm fatigue or not knowing when he would throw next. “You hope you can be the abnormal guy and not go through any of this,” Schmidt said. “But everything that I’m going through was expected.”

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com