Loney, La Roche headed to minors

First baseman James Loney and third baseman Andy La Roche are projected as the corner infielders of the future for the Dodgers, but they might be the corner outfielders of the present at triple-A Las Vegas.

Barring a last-minute change of heart by the front office, Loney and La Roche will return to the minors, team sources said. Although the primary reason is that veterans are standing in their way, they might as well try to become proficient outfielders while waiting their turn.

With Nomar Garciaparra a fixture at first base the next two seasons and Wilson Betemit getting a long look at third, the best way to eventually get the potent bats of Loney and La Roche into the Dodgers’ lineup might be the outfield.

“They won’t play exclusively outfield [at Las Vegas], but they’ll be out there a lot,” a source said.

For the second day in a row, the normally agreeable Loney, who leads the team with a .455 spring batting average, made his feelings clear.

“I came here to work hard to help the team win and I can’t do that in Las Vegas,” he said.

Penny buoyant

Five days after missing a start because of shoulder soreness, Brad Penny pitched four innings in a 6-5 loss to the New York Mets and said, “I can’t remember ever feeling better.”

Penny expressed optimism despite walking five and giving up four hits and three runs in four innings. He said there is no doubt he can make his first start of the season at San Francisco on April 6.

“All three pitches were working,” he said. “That’s 100% right there. My splitter was working and my fastball, I’m not going to throw much harder than that.”

Injury updates

Jason Repko is out for the season, shortstop Rafael Furcal could play opening day and pitcher Hong-Chi Kuo is out four to six weeks, trainer Stan Conte said.

Repko has two torn tendons in his hamstring close to the pelvis and will be sidelined for at least five months. Dr. Neal ElAttrache is scheduled to perform surgery Wednesday in L.A. to reattach the tendons.

“The prognosis is good, the time frame is bad,” Conte said. “This requires the tendon to be regrown back on the bone.”

Conte said the injury is rare in baseball but fairly common in football. It occurred while Repko was running for a fly ball in a game Thursday. The hamstring gave out when he stepped from the grass to the warning track.

Meanwhile, Furcal played catch and jogged on a treadmill five days after suffering an ankle sprain that Conte described as a “two-plus on a scale of three.”

“He is recovering incredibly quickly,” Conte said.

If not ready by opening day, Furcal could go on the disabled list retroactive to the day after his injury, making him available to play April 7 at San Francisco, and would miss only four games.

Kuo strained a muscle below his shoulder nearly two weeks ago and Conte said the injury must be completely healed before allowing the left-hander to begin throwing because there is a danger of it re-occurring.

Kuo will have another MRI exam next week and stay in Vero Beach until he is ready to throw. Eventually he would join the staff at Las Vegas.

“This is not a long-lasting or career-threatening injury. It just takes time to heal,” Conte said.

steve.henson@latimes.com