Dodgers Release Samuel, Call Up Young : Baseball: Veteran second baseman was batting .262 with no home runs and 15 runs batted in.

Second baseman Juan Samuel, troubled by strikeouts, errors and injuries during his 2 1/2 seasons with the Dodgers, was given his unconditional release Thursday.

Samuel, 31, sustained a hairline fracture of the middle finger in his right hand during spring training and missed 47 games this season. He was batting .262 with 15 runs batted in, two stolen bases, no home runs, and five errors.

The Dodgers, in last place in the NL West with a 42-59 record entering Thursday night’s home game against San Diego, called up second baseman Eric Young from triple-A Albuquerque to replace Samuel.

“Juan has always provided an all-out effort and has been a contributor to many Dodger victories,” Fred Claire, executive vice president of the Dodgers, said in a statement.

Samuel, a 10-year veteran, was a member of the National League All-Star team a year ago when he was hitting .313 at mid-season. He finished the season at .271.

Samuelhas a career batting average of .259 with 128 home runs, 343 stolen bases and 1,180 strikeouts. His best season was 1987, when he hit 28 home runs, drove in 100 runs, batted .272 and stole 35 bases for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Samuel broke into the major leagues with the Phillies in 1983. In 1984, he set a franchise record with 72 stolen bases. Samuel was traded at mid-season in 1989 to the New York Mets for outfielder Lenny Dykstra and relief pitcher Roger McDowell, who now is a Dodger.

The Mets traded Samuel to the Dodgers at the end of the 1989 season for reliever Alejandro Pena and outfielder Mike Marshall.

He played center field for the Mets and Dodgers until early in 1990, when he returned to second base. Samuel committed 17 errors at second base last season, second-most in the National League.