Tracy Unsure About Navarro’s Readiness

General Manager Paul DePodesta says the Dodgers have enough offense in the first seven spots in their lineup to carry a defensive specialist at catcher and bat him eighth. That could suggest the Dodgers are comfortable using rookie Dioner Navarro at catcher, but Manager Jim Tracy isn’t so sure.

“When you talk about offense, do you have enough toward the bottom part of the lineup?” Tracy said. “If you’re uneasy with that, are you forcing added responsibility onto a kid?”

The Dodgers struggled mightily at the bottom of the lineup in 2003, Tracy noted, when they scored the fewest runs in the major leagues.

This season, they plan to bat Jose Valentin sixth and Hee-Seop Choi seventh, or vice versa, ahead of the catcher and pitcher. Valentin hit .216 last year, Choi .251 overall and .161 with the Dodgers. Repeat performances could put extra pressure on a young catcher to hit so the Dodgers do not string four poor hitters together.

“It’s not about Valentin or Choi,” Tracy said. “It’s about the development of a young player. What’s in the best interest of the organization? What’s in the best interest of the player? This is a 21-year-old kid.”

Navarro has 1,269 minor league at-bats. Adrian Beltre had 1,163 when the Dodgers called him up in 1998, at 19.

“I answered a lot of questions about whether he was going to get it,” Tracy said.

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Kazuhisa Ishii pitched four shutout innings Saturday, holding the New York Mets to one hit and two walks, a performance Tracy called “very adequate.” Ishii threw 30 balls and 32 strikes. In seven innings this spring, he has given up two hits and four walks and struck out 10.

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Perez (biceps tendinitis) and closer Eric Gagne (sprained knee) resumed throwing off a mound. Perez said he could be ready for opening day by pitching in three games during the final two weeks of spring training. Gagne said he could pitch as often as every other day in those two weeks and could make his spring debut next Saturday. The Dodgers also hope left fielder Jayson Werth (broken arm) can return by then, but he could start the season on a minor league rehabilitation assignment.

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Former Dodger outfielder Lou Johnson was taken by ambulance to a local hospital after experiencing chest and stomach pain at Dodgertown. Doctors ruled out a heart attack, team spokesman Josh Rawitch said. Johnson was resting comfortably and was expected to stay overnight for observation and possible additional testing, Rawitch said.... The Dodgers tied two split-squad games, 5-5 in 11 innings against the Mets and 0-0 in 10 innings against the Baltimore Orioles.