Dodgers’ Rafael Furcal reportedly headed to disabled list
Rafael Furcal, who finally appears to be recovered from a back injury that required surgery two years ago, is heading to the disabled list.
Multiple baseball sources told The Times that the Dodgers are planning to move Furcal to the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a strained left hamstring. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because the move hasn’t been officially announced.
The Dodgers are expected to replace Furcal with veteran shortstop Nick Green, who after Monday’s game is batting an altitude-enhanced .219 in 20 games for their triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque. A key reserve for the Boston Red Sox last season, the 31-year-old Green signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers over the winter.
If the Dodgers call up Green, they would likely clear a spot for him on the 40-man roster by moving Cory Wade to the 60-day disabled list.
Furcal’s move to the disabled list would be retroactive to April 28, the day after he played his last game. He would be eligible to be activated on May 14 for the start of the Dodgers’ three-game series in San Diego.
Furcal, 32, was hurt running to first base last week in New York.
Because the Dodgers were hopeful that he would be sidelined for only a few days, they didn’t immediately place him on the disabled list. Furcal received an injection of platelet-rich plasma in his hamstring Thursday and his condition was said to be improving, but not enough to where he could handle his regular duties as the leadoff hitter and starting shortstop.
Furcal was batting .309 and had scored 16 runs in 19 games. He had already stolen eight bases.
Last year he stole only 12 bases in 150 games, something he blamed on the uncertainty he felt about his back. In 2008, he was out for 4½ months with a back injury that required surgery in the middle of the season.
Ex-Dodger fighting cancer
Former Dodgers outfielder Dave Roberts said Monday that he is being treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“I expect to beat this fully and be fully recovered,” Roberts said in a conference call.
Roberts, 37, batted .262 for the Dodgers from 2002-04, but the most memorable moment of his career came as a member of the Boston Red Sox. With the Red Sox three outs away from elimination in the 2004 American League Championship Series, Roberts drew a walk, stole second base and scored the tying run. The Red Sox went on to win the series and claim their first World Series title since 1918.
Roberts, who played college ball at UCLA, is now a special assistant with the San Diego Padres.
Roberts said he was diagnosed with the disease in mid-March and that he has started receiving radiation treatment.
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