Green Will Play Right if Needed

In a departure from his previous stance, Shawn Green has told Dodger Manager Jim Tracy that he would be willing to play right field occasionally when others are injured to allow the Dodgers to field the best possible offensive lineup.

That will be the case tonight, when Green plays right field against the Montreal Expos to accommodate Robin Ventura at first base with Milton Bradley out of the lineup for a second consecutive game because of a high ankle sprain. Ventura has hit .426 with one home run and 12 runs batted in in 26 at-bats against Expo starter Livan Hernandez.

“It’s the best scenario for the team,” said Green, the former right fielder who was moved to first base before the season. “Coming in, I didn’t want to go into this kind of halfway, back and forth. I wanted to dive into it and really embrace the change.

“At this point I feel comfortable enough at first to where if I played a couple of days in right, I don’t think it’s going to affect my learning process.”

Green said he informed Tracy of his willingness to switch positions after Bradley initially sprained his ankle April 21 while sliding on slippery grass at Coors Field to cut off a ball hit in the gap. Bradley remained in the Dodger lineup until Thursday, when he irritated the ankle and left after the sixth inning of the Dodgers’ 6-1 loss to the New York Mets.

Bradley did not start Friday against the Expos, though Tracy said he was available off the bench as a pinch-hitter, preferably right-handed.

“It bothers him much less hitting right-handed than it does hitting left-handed,” Tracy said.

Dave Roberts moved over from left field Friday to replace Bradley in center, with Jason Grabowski getting his first start of the season, in left field. Adrian Beltre moved up from seventh to third to take Bradley’s place in the batting order and drove in Cesar Izturis from third base in the first inning with an RBI groundout.

Green, who played first base Friday, will start tonight’s game in right field, with Juan Encarnacion moving from right to left field and Roberts staying in center. Tracy said Ventura would also start Sunday against Montreal starter Sun-Woo Kim, against whom Ventura is four for four with two homers and four RBIs.

Tracy said Bradley, hitting .266 with four homers and 18 RBIs, would return Sunday at the earliest.

*

Reliever Paul Shuey, recovering from tendon damage in his right thumb, has been cleared to play catch, but there remains no timetable for his return.... Outfielder Jayson Werth, on the disabled list because of a strained abdominal muscle, has resumed swinging a bat but probably will require a rehabilitation assignment before rejoining the Dodgers.