Dodgers Activate Nomar for a Few Days

The Dodgers activated shortstop Nomar Garciaparra from the DL before tonight's game against the Phillies.  In his first inning back, he robbed Jimmy Rollins of a hit deep in the hole and surprisingly did not re-injure himself.

It would be unreasonable to expect Nomar to stay healthy for more than a few games, so the club placed Andruw Jones on the DL with a fake injury, retaining Angel Berroa and Pablo Ozuna as Nomar-insurance.

Surprise: Nomar Garciaparra Hurt Again

Dodgers shortstop Nomar Garciaparra underwent an MRI today and is not in tonight's lineup. Nomar twisted his knee Sunday making a play at first base. He suffered a bruised ovary on the same play.

Joe Torre hinted at additional trades on Sunday, and if Nomar's injury ends up as anything more than day-to-day, Angel Berroa's inadequacy might force General Manager Ned Colletti to trade for a shortstop before Thursday's trade deadline. Knowing Colletti, that probably means a mediocre hitter with no power and a near eight-figure salary. Jack Wilson and Edgar Renteria both fit the bill.

UPDATE: Broadcaster Vin Scully reports that Nomar has a "stage one MCL sprain" and will rest several days before resuming baseball related activity.

UPDATE: The Dodgers do not expect Nomar to go on the DL.

Rafael Furcal To Have Surgery, Dodgers Screwed

Tomorrow's LA Times reports that Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal will undergo back surgery tomorrow and miss a minimum of 8 weeks.  Joe Torre cannot be happy since the club's run production has declined by almost 2 runs per game since Furcal went down.  

The Angel Berroa trade looks really good now (just kidding), as he and Luis Maza should hold down shortstop (just kidding) until Nomar Garciparra returns from his rehab assignment to save the day (just kidding).

Now would be a really good time for Ned Colleti to get off his ass and do something other than trade for players in the Royals farm system.  With this abysmal offense, the Dodgers certainly cannot rely on Berroa or Maza, even until Garciparra returns.  Even then, it will probably be only a matter of days until Garciaparra ends up on the DL again with a sunburn or lice or something.

Nomar is the wildcard here.  He went 3-3 tonight for AAA Las Vegas and is 5-8 on his current rehab stint.  If all goes well he could be in the lineup this weekend against the Giants.  In the unlikely event that he handles shortstop and improves upon the .213 combined batting average of Maza and Berroa (which would probably qualify him to hit 5th), Colleti will likely hold off on any trades for a shortstop.  

In any event, the Dodgers season continues to get worse, and while we're talking about bad news for the Dodgers, its worth mentioning that Andruw Jones could be activated soon. 

Injury Updates

• The Padres activated Jake Peavy and he pitched 6 shutout innings against the Dodgers.
  
• The Angels expect to activate Chone Figgins from the DL tomorrow.
• Nomar Garciaparra is on target to return June 25, the first day he is eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list.
• Andruw Jones has started shagging flyballs and thinks he is 2 weeks from beginning a rehab assignment.
  
• The Canton Repository reports that Indians catcher Victor Martinez is expected to miss 6-8 weeks after he has surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow.
• Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman will miss at least another 4-6 weeks. If rehab does not improve his left shoulder, he may have surgery which would cause him to miss 3-4 months.
• The Mariners are portraying closer J.J. Putz's sore elbow as a problem of the day-to-day variety and don't believe he will go on the DL.
  

Dodgers Moving Nomar Garciaparra To Shortstop

The Los Angeles Times reports that former corner infielder Nomar Garciaparra could begin a rehab assignment next week, and will do so as a shortstop. Starting shortstop Rafael Furcal is now expected to miss at least another three weeks, and the Dodgers are apparently uncomfortable with recently acquired former Royals shortstop Angel Berroa, which begs the question of why General Manager Ned Colletti even bothered trading for him.

Since Nomar can barely stand at third base without getting hurt, one has to wonder whether the Dodgers regard his absence from the roster as vital to winning games, and are therefore trying to get him hurt again. If this is the plan, applause for Colletti, but it is doubtful he is that sophisticated.

This move also indicates that the Dodgers are committed to promising rookie infielder Andy LaRoche as a backup at both third and first base.

LaRoche Injury Ends Nomar Garciaparra Experiment

Dodgers manager Joe Torre's considerations to move third baseman Nomar Garciaparra to second base and other positions have been ended -- at least for now -- with an injury to 24-year-old third base prospect Andy LaRoche.

Garciaparra, 34, had been under consideration to become a multi-position, substitute utility infielder playing not only third base and second, but shortstop and occasionally first, as Garciaparra has significant experience at all of the positions except second base.

But LaRoche -- who was to have been eased into the starting third base job -- tore the ulnar collateral ligament of his right thumb, and has undergone surgery to reconnect the ligament and repair a chip in the first metacarpal bone. LaRoche will be out until at least mid-May, and likely will be unable to resume normal play until June 1 or later.

That virtually assures that Garciaparra will open as the sole, full-time third baseman.

Speculation had been rife that Torre would favor Garciaparra over the talented young LaRoche, but many forget that it was just a dozen years ago that Hall of Famer Wade Boggs fell from favor when he played for Torre on the Yankees. Garciaparra may have been headed for a similar fate, as he would have been demoted to stopgap sixth infielder substituting intermittently for shortstop Rafael Furcal and second baseman Jeff Kent, veterans who have struggled due to injuries.

The 40-year-old Kent -- who has failed to reach the 500-at bat plateau since 2005 -- already is experiencing hamstring problems this spring. Furcal, 30, lost 30 points off his batting average last year after dealing with ankle and spinal trouble.