Valentin May Be Out Until August

Jose Valentin could be sidelined until August because an MRI exam Wednesday revealed three partially torn ligaments in his right knee that resulted from his slide into home plate Tuesday during the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory over the Washington Nationals.

Valentin, who was put on the 15-day disabled list, must wait eight to 10 weeks before resuming baseball activities. The injury is not expected to require surgery.

“He did about as much damage to a knee that you can possibly do without having to have it surgically repaired,” Manager Jim Tracy said. “It’s fairly safe to say that Jose Valentin is looking at well beyond the All-Star break, and that is if everything goes according to plan.”

The Dodgers purchased the contract of utilityman Mike Edwards from triple-A Las Vegas and made room for Edwards on the 40-man roster by designating reliever Buddy Carlyle for assignment.

Barring a trade, the team will use a platoon of Edwards, Norihiro Nakamura and Olmedo Saenz at third base in the absence of Valentin, hitting .194 with two home runs and 12 runs batted in. Edwards, whom Tracy described as “adequate defensively” at third, had played six games at the position for Las Vegas, where he was hitting .284 with three homers and 17 RBIs.

Nakamura started at third Wednesday against the Nationals and probably will be used as a late-inning defensive replacement in games that Saenz and Edwards start.

Antonio Perez, recovering from a strained left hamstring, will be another option at third once he completes a rehabilitation assignment that could last another two weeks. Perez is also playing shortstop for Las Vegas as an insurance policy against an injury to Cesar Izturis.

A trade is also possible. General Manager Paul DePodesta has said the Dodgers are willing to add payroll to address needs, and the team has ample prospects that might interest other teams.

“It could get to the point where you look and say from a personnel standpoint, do we have enough in house to [withstand] this injury?” Tracy said of Valentin’s injury. “That’s always something that you sit around and talk about.

“But the thing I am adamant about is, injury is not an excuse to perform poorly.”

Valentin played an inning of defense after sliding hard into Washington catcher Brian Schneider in the fifth inning Tuesday, but he felt the injury worsen after throwing out Jose Guillen on a grounder to third.

“When I got the ground ball to third and made the throw to first base, that’s when my knee felt kind of loose,” Valentin said. “There was no strength at all. I went back to the dugout after the inning was over and told the trainers that I wouldn’t be able to continue.”

Valentin wore a brace on Wednesday and walked through the clubhouse with a noticeable limp. He is expected to begin strengthening exercises in about a week, once the swelling subsides.

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Jayson Werth, recovering from a broken left wrist, will play in his final minor league intrasquad game today in Vero Beach, Fla., before flying to Las Vegas to begin his rehabilitation assignment with the 51s on Friday.