Repko Is Not Planning to Hold Back in Outfield

Call it youthful exuberance, but Jason Repko said he won’t restrain himself on a deep fly ball to center field.

“If I have a good shot at the ball, I’m going to go for it,” Repko said. “That’s my instincts.”

Of course, it was those same “instincts” that landed Repko on the disabled list for bounding into the outfield wall in May, resulting in a high-ankle sprain.

Recalled from triple A, Repko started Monday in center field for the Dodgers for the first time since injuring the left ankle May 9. A roster spot became available after Sandy Alomar Jr. was traded to the Chicago White Sox. Repko completed a nine-game minor league rehabilitation assignment in Las Vegas, where he hit .276 with two runs batted in.

“How well he does will dictate how much he plays,” Manager Grady Little said. “By no means do we want this kid coming back in there

The only lingering reminder of the injury is the heavy tape on his left ankle. That will stay there for the rest of the season, and possibly some of next. Plus, he has gained some wisdom from his misadventure.

“If there’s a chance in my mind that I might not be able to [catch a home run ball], I’ll probably think twice then, especially coming back so soon,” Repko said.

Repko had outfield practice before the game to re-introduce himself to Dodger Stadium. After all, he sat out 66 games because of the injury.

“The last three months now I’ve been working hard to getting back,” Repko said. “I never knew how long it would take. I had to handle it the right way and nurse it back to health.”

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Little said that second baseman Jeff Kent is about a week from taking practice swings and will continue to rest a sore muscle in his left side.

“He’s going to be real cautious about that,” Little said.

Brett Tomko, who was scheduled to pitch one inning of rehab Monday night for Las Vegas, probably will be called up in the next few days, maybe even today, Little said. Tomko has a sore muscle in his left side.

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Members of the independent investigative unit formed by Commissioner Bud Selig to look into the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball interviewed Dodgers personnel but did not speak to any active players. The investigators are expected to eventually interrogate personnel on every big league team.

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Compared to Fernando Valenzuela, rookie Jered Weaver is operating in relative anonymity. While Valenzuela electrified the baseball world in his rookie season, his 8-0 start igniting Fernandomania, there is no such phenomenon surrounding Weaver, who is 7-0 for the Angels.

But Valenzuela, now a Dodgers broadcaster, said he doesn’t think he was under more pressure than the Angels’ pitcher.

“There was no pressure for me,” he said. “I liked to play. I wanted to pitch. I knew what I had to do and I went to the mound and did it. If you don’t like pressure, stay home.”

And as the spotlight grew larger?

“I didn’t change anything,” he said. “I kept pitching the same. If a hitter got a home run off my screwball, I would come back the next time with another screwball.”

And does Valenzuela have any advice for Weaver?

“He’s got great stuff,” Valenzuela said, “so I would just tell him, ‘Trust your stuff.’ ”