BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Angry Butler Talked Out of Retiring

Dodger center fielder Brett Butler, angry at the media, hurt by the public’s sentiment toward him and upset with the front office, told teammates Wednesday night that he might retire immediately.

But he talked with several of his teammates, who persuaded him not to make a rash decision. He stayed up until 3:30 a.m. Thursday with outfielder Rick Parker and decided that he would play out the remainder of the season.

“Buggsy was pretty upset,” second baseman Delino DeShields said, “but I didn’t think it would come to that. I’m just glad he didn’t follow through with it because we need him.

“It’s a shame because the guy was looking so forward to coming back to L.A. and being in a pennant race, and they boo him. He doesn’t deserve that. He’s a good man.

“Just because Butler was the one quoted [about how the resentment players felt toward bringing up replacement player Mike Busch from the minor leagues], it looked like he was the only one that felt that way. That was not the case.”

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Lost in the shuffle of team meetings, news conferences and controversy surrounding Busch, the Dodgers’ prized possession, 19-year-old outfielder Karim Garcia, made his major league debut.

Garcia, the youngest player in the major leagues, was so excited about the news that he was in the hotel lobby at 7 a.m. Thursday morning, pacing for an hour while waiting for teammate Joey Eischen to join him.

“I don’t think he even got any sleep,” Eischen said. “He woke me up at 6:30, and he was already showered dressed and pacing the lobby.

“But I tell you what, this guy’s is going to be a great ballplayer. I’ve been around guys like Rondell White, Cliff Floyd and Manny Ramirez when they came up, and Karim has got as much or more ability than those guys.”

Garcia, who was born and raised in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico, had never been to a major league game until Thursday.

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The Dodgers will add seven players to their roster, including Korean pitcher Chan Ho Park. They purchased the contract of catcher Tom Prince and recalled pitchers Omar Daal and Jim Bruske, outfielder Roger Cedeno and infielders Garey Ingram and Warren Castro. Todd Williams was designated for assignment. . . . The Dodgers rejected the Chicago White Sox’s demand for outfielders Todd Hollandsworth and Roger Cedeno for third baseman Robin Ventura and will finish the season with a platoon of Dave Hansen and Busch. . . . Dodger third baseman Tim Wallach, who opted not to have knee surgery that would sideline him for six months, still has aspirations of being ready to play in three weeks. . . . Parker said he was crushed by the news that he was taken off the Dodger roster for the postseason.