Top Pitching Prospect Facing Surgery

As the Dodgers faced the possibility of losing one of their top pitching prospects for most, if not all, of the season, General Manager Paul DePodesta acknowledged he might have to trade another to acquire their long-awaited hitter.

“I’ve come to grips with that,” he said Thursday. “That’s probably what it’s going to take.”

After extended rehabilitation failed to resolve the soreness within his left (pitching) shoulder, Greg Miller will undergo arthroscopic surgery next week. Doctors will determine the extent of damage and correct it all at once, so the rehabilitation period depends on the diagnosis, but DePodesta said Miller would start the season on the disabled list. If damage to the rotator cuff and/or labrum is found and repaired, the typical rehabilitation period is four to six months.

“I’m excited to get back to 100%,” Miller said. “I’ve been rehabbing for six months now.”

Dan Evans, fired last month as general manager, refused to trade Miller, Edwin Jackson or Joel Hanrahan, the Dodgers’ top pitching prospects. DePodesta said he considered Miller “part of our foundation” and would not have been interested in trading him, but he called young pitching “an area of depth for us” and said he “absolutely” would deal from that depth.

That makes the Dodgers a more attractive partner to teams willing to trade hitters but unwilling to absorb the contract of Odalis Perez ($5 million) or Kazuhisa Ishii ($2.75 million this year and $3.25 million next year).

Said DePodesta: “Most teams are looking for young pitching, and they don’t have a lot of payroll room.”

Although new owner Frank McCourt pledged the team would add a hitter this spring, DePodesta made no promises.

“I don’t want to put any deadlines on it,” he said. “If we get someone tomorrow, or by opening day, or in June or in August, we’ll continually try to upgrade the club. If I say publicly I have to do a deal, I’ll probably end up doing a bad deal.”

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In his second outing using his revamped delivery, Ishii again performed poorly. The St. Louis Cardinals roughed him up for five runs and seven hits -- including two home runs by Reggie Sanders -- in three innings of the Dodgers’ 13-8 loss.

“Now is the time when I get to mess up. It’s basically a testing period,” Ishii said through an interpreter. “But of course I want good results.”

Ishii threw 54 pitches, 20 of them balls. He threw first-pitch strikes to 10 of the 18 batters he faced. Still, Manager Jim Tracy said he saw some improvement and expected to see more next time. In his two games, Ishii has faced 32 batters and 22 have reached base.

“Today he’s a part of our rotation,” Tracy said. “I’m not going to speak about two or three weeks from now today.”

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Jackson, also a part of the rotation today, got hit hard as well, giving up six runs and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings. Steve Colyer, trying to win a spot as a left-handed reliever, gave up four hits and got one out. ... Jason Romano, trying to win a spot as a reserve outfielder, homered twice and drove in four runs. ... The Dodgers, in search of another infielder for depth purposes in spring training, purchased the contract of triple-A utilityman Jose Flores from the Oakland Athletics. ... The Dodgers optioned pitcher Andrew Brown to double-A Jacksonville and sent pitcher Eric Knott, catcher Russell Martin and outfielders John Barnes and Shane Victorino to minor league camp.