Drew Comeback Seems Unlikely

Any chance that injured outfielder J.D. Drew will return to the lineup is becoming slimmer by the day. He experienced pain taking batting practice Monday and Tuesday, and Dr. Norman Zemel recommended that he cease baseball activity for a week.

“Dr. Zemel stuck his thumb where the pain is and it really hurt,” Drew said. “He said we have to give the bone a chance to heal.”

Drew, who was batting .286 with 15 home runs when he went on the disabled list, said he might need surgery to remove a floating bone chip in the wrist.

“Hopefully with enough healing time it will scar down and surgery won’t be necessary,” Drew said.

Drew will try to return this season only if the Dodgers still believe they are in the National League West race in a week.

“I’d love to be put in a position to really pull the trigger,” he said. “But in all honesty, my swing has to be so altered to get the point of impact in a comfortable way, that I don’t know how much good it would do.”

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With Milton Bradley’s status in limbo, Drew and Jayson Werth are quietly making cases for taking over in center field next season.

Drew expressed a desire to play center when he was signed during the off-season. However, Bradley made it clear he wanted to play center, so Drew deferred to the incumbent and played right field.

Werth was expected to be the left fielder, but because of injuries to others has played extensively in right and center as well. He has started in center in 14 of the 16 games since Bradley went on the disabled list.

“Absolutely I consider this a great opportunity to show what I can do there,” Werth said.

Adding a power-hitting outfielder will be an off-season priority -- especially if Bradley is traded or not offered a contract. But a corner outfielder will do because either Drew or Werth is expected to play center.

“I wanted to play center when I came here and that really hasn’t changed,” Drew said.

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Reliever Kelly Wunsch will have surgery on his left hip Sept. 13. Wunsch has been on the disabled list since July 8 because of torn ligaments in his right ankle.

“He dealt with some soreness [in the hip] periodically,” Manager Jim Tracy said. “It’s something that needs to be done and now is a good time to do it.”

The Dodgers have indicated to Wunsch that he will be invited to spring training. In 45 appearances, the left-hander held opposing batters to a .227 average.