Surgery May End Hundley’s Season

After failing to respond to a series of epidural injections, backup catcher Todd Hundley is scheduled to undergo potentially season-ending surgery on his lower back Thursday to remove a floating disc fragment that has caused extreme discomfort.

“It gets lodged in certain spots back there and it inhibits him from squatting,” Dodger Manager Jim Tracy said. “The goal is to go in and get that thing out of there.”

Tracy said Hundley, sidelined since May 4, could return in two months but cautioned that there is no definitive timetable, especially considering the rigors of Hundley’s position. Medical personnel had attempted to treat Hundley’s back with epidural injections, but after he failed to show progress following a third injection, surgery was deemed the best remaining option.

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The Dodgers made Chad Billingsley their first-round pick in the amateur draft Tuesday with the 24th selection overall in part because they believe the power pitcher from Defiance (Ohio) High is capable of a swift ascent to the major leagues.

“I think he is closer to the major leagues than a lot of the college players taken by far,” said Logan White, the Dodgers’ director of amateur scouting. “He’s really a polished high school pitcher with a great delivery.”

White said the 6-foot-2 right-hander reminds him physically of Hall of Famer Tom Seaver and possesses a fastball that reaches 94-95 mph. Billingsley was 6-1 with a 1.49 earned-run average in 11 games this season.

Billingsley has signed a letter of intent with South Carolina but said by phone Tuesday that he was eager to sign with the Dodgers. The 18-year-old said he would work tirelessly to reach the major leagues and excel once there.

“I’m never going to be satisfied with where I’m at,” Billingsley said. “I’m definitely going to try to get better.”

The Dodgers helped their second-round selection, pitcher Chuck Tiffany of Covina Charter Oak High, take a big step toward fulfilling a prediction he made to Senior Vice President Tom Lasorda when they selected the left-hander 61st overall. Tiffany had spotted Lasorda at an airport several years ago and told him he was going to pitch for the Dodgers some day.

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Tracy said he asked the Dodgers not to draft his son Chad because the senior catcher from Claremont High would not have signed after the first couple of rounds.

“We did not need a courtesy extended to him,” the elder Tracy said. “Beyond a certain point in the draft today, it would have been a moot point to take him.”

Chad Tracy will enroll at Pepperdine, where his father said he would attempt to add about 30 pounds to his 6-4 frame and take his chances in the 2006 draft. The Dodgers drafted Tracy’s son Brian, a right-handed pitcher from Claremont, in the 21st round last year, but he did not sign and is a redshirt freshman at UC Santa Barbara.

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Reliever Troy Brohawn had shoulder surgery as scheduled, and Tracy said the left-hander could return this season if the tendinitis in his left rotator cuff responds properly. Brohawn, on the disabled list since May 13, was 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 12 appearances.... Tracy said the Dodgers would determine whether Darren Dreifort, hampered by an arthritic right knee, can make his next start as scheduled Saturday against the Chicago White Sox after the right-hander throws a bullpen session Thursday.