BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Javier Will Seek a Place to Play

Stan Javier said he will not cause trouble, especially during a time when his team desperately needs outfielders.

But with only four starts and a team-low 45 at-bats after 56 games, look for a disconsolate Javier to ask for a trade with the return of Eric Davis or Darryl Strawberry.

“I don’t know what to say,” Javier said Friday “I am not selfish, so I will not complain. But this has been very hard for me. I have gone from the best year of my career to back to where I started.”

Javier, with a .156 batting average, doesn’t have a hit in 14 at-bats since hitting a three-run pinch homer against the Pittsburgh Pirates May 22.

Juan Samuel returned to the lineup Friday for the first time since April 27, but with extra equipment. To protect his broken middle finger, he wore a batting glove under his glove, and has ordered extra padding to wear between the two gloves. He didn’t have to field a grounder, but he had two singles in four at-bats. . . . Eric Davis’ comeback continued Friday when he swung a bat for the first time since separating his shoulder May 22. He was only swinging at a ball on a tee, but he said he felt decent. “I felt (the shoulder) a little bit when I extended on an inside pitch, but other than that, it was fine,” Davis said. Although Davis could not be formally greeted by his former hometown fans in his first visit here because he did not play, he made an appearance at a large charity banquet Thursday and was greeted with polite applause. . . . With Friday’s loss, the Dodgers are 2-7 against left-handed starters without Davis and 9-6 with him.