BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Samuel Ready to Play With Pain in His Hand

Juan Samuel said his biggest chore upon returning to team this weekend in Cincinnati will not involve his left hand, but his mind. “I got to try and forget about the pain,” he said.

The middle finger on his left hand, which was broken along with the ring finger when he was hit by a pitch from Anthony Young of the New York Mets on March 29, is still swollen.

But Samuel said that the pain has subsided enough that he was able to reject surgery and persuade the Dodgers that he can come off the disabled list, where he has been since April 30.

Samuel was reinstated after Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves, and outfielder Tom Goodwin was returned to triple-A Albuquerque.

“I can handle it,” Samuel said. “How I will do when I get out there, I do not know. Nobody knows. But if the rest of the year, I feel like I feel now, I will be fine.”

Fred Claire, Dodger vice president, said that watching Samuel take grounders convinced him that reinstatement is the correct option.

“He has taken batting practice, he has fielded ground balls, it doesn’t look like he is having trouble, so we’ll just see,” Claire said. “He is fully aware of his condition, and he feels he can do it. So we will give him a chance.”

Claire emphasized that the Dodgers cannot force a player to have surgery.

“It was given as one of the options for Juan, but it would mean an end to his season,” Claire said. “And surgery is always the player’s decision. Nobody else can make it for him.”

Samuel has said that, because he is working on a one-year contract, he cannot afford to miss the season unless surgery becomes his only option. When he left the roster, he was hitting .264 with eight runs batted in in 18 games.

Eric Davis began catching balls for the first time since suffering a separated shoulder and could start hitting soon. He hopes that he can be back in the lineup within the next two weeks. . . . Pedro Martinez might have ensured that he will make his major league debut during the July doubleheaders after giving up one run and five hits in seven innings in Albuquerque’s 2-1 victory over Las Vegas on Tuesday. “We’re very impressed with his progress,” Claire said. . . . Jim Gott’s walk of Ron Gant in the eighth inning Wednesday was Gott’s first walk in more than a month, since May 8, a span of 14 innings. Gott has not given up a run in his last 15 2/3 innings, and has given up only one run in 14 2/3 innings at Dodger Stadium. . . . The Dodgers drew more than 34,000 fans in only three of seven games on the home stand. They are averaging 37,491 fans after 28 dates, a decrease of more than 3,000 fans per game from last season.