Dodgers’ new addition is versatile
Nick Green, called up Tuesday when veteran Rafael Furcal went on the 15-day disabled list, likely not only will replace Furcal at shortstop on occasion but play other positions as he’s been doing in the minor leagues, Dodgers Manager Joe Torre said.
“Right now my plan is still [Jamey] Carroll at shortstop” in place of Furcal, Torre said. Green, who had been playing at triple-A Albuquerque, is “a little more of a utility guy” who also can be used at second and third base, Torre said.
Furcal, 32, has a strained left hamstring, and he said before Tuesday night’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers that he would continue exercising and receiving treatments while he’s on the disabled list “to get ready for the day I come back.”
“It’s tough because I want to play, I don’t want to be in this situation,” said Furcal, who was batting .309 when he suffered the injury. “But you never know what’s going on, I don’t want to get hurt [more]. I don’t want to go back and play and say I’m ready to go and then only play for one inning and we lose a player.”
Torre said putting Furcal on the disabled list was “the safest thing to do.”
Furcal was “getting better but I guess the rate of improvement is slowing down,” Torre said. “So he’s a little bit better than he was, but certainly not well enough to put him out there and put him in danger.”
Wolf’s return
Randy Wolf was back at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night as a Brewer, but said he held no ill feelings toward the Dodgers after they declined to pursue extending his contract.
The left-hander was 11-7 with the Dodgers last season, with a 3.23 earned-run average and a career-high 214 innings. But Wolf, who grew up in the San Fernando Valley, ended up signing a three-year, nearly $30-million contract with Milwaukee.
“I don’t really believe in regrets,” said Wolf, who still has a home in Hollywood. “I had a great time here [with the Dodgers], I had a lot of really good teammates, first time ever being in the playoffs, got to do it at home, so there’s a lot of really good memories here.
“Of course, you kind of look back and you miss those times, but at the same time coming over here, the guys that on this team, the chemistry in the clubhouse, it’s pretty awesome,” he said.
Asked to comment on the Dodgers’ current struggle to find consistent fourth and fifth starters, Wolf replied: “With every team, there’s going to be pitching problems.”
Rehab game
Manny Ramirez and Jeff Weaver, both hoping to come off the disabled list by week’s end, played Tuesday night with the Dodgers’ Class-A Inland Empire 66ers affiliate of San Bernardino as part of their rehabilitation.
Ramirez, batting leadoff as the designated hitter, was one for three with a run-scoring single in the game in Lake Elsinore against the Storm. Weaver, the 66ers’ starting pitcher, gave up two earned runs and two hits in three innings.
Ramirez has a strained right calf but is scheduled to rejoin the Dodgers on Friday. Weaver, with a low-back strain, is expected to return Saturday.
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