Dodgers’ Furcal a hit in Triple-A debut

It's not unusual for a player to want to keep the ball from his first Triple-A hit. But it is unusual when the player is a former major league All-Star in his 12th pro season.

Then again, Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal isn't your average big league player. He made the unlikely jump from Class A to the majors in 2000, when he hit .295 and stole 40 bases for the Atlanta Braves en route to National League Rookie of the Year honors.

In his ninth year in the majors, the 30-year-old speedster from the Dominican Republic has played only three games in Double A, in 2000, and had never played in Triple A until Monday at Cashman Field.

In his first game of a major league rehabilitation assignment for a strained lower back, the switch-hitting Furcal gave Dodgers fans reason for optimism when he launched an opposite-field, RBI double to left field in the second inning.

Furcal, who started at shortstop and led off for the 51s, flew out of the batter's box and cruised into second base for his first Triple-A hit. The team retrieved the ball and presented it to Furcal as a souvenir.

Furcal and fellow Dodgers infielder Nomar Garciaparra, who began his rehab assignment for a strained left calf by starting at third base, were pulled after four innings.

If all goes well during Las Vegas' four-game homestand against the Salt Lake Bees, the pair of former All-Stars could rejoin Los Angeles by Friday.

"Hopefully we can get them through these four games healthy and get them back up there where they need to be," 51s manager Lorenzo Bundy said. "They'll play these four games and they'll go back to L.A. to be re-evaluated."

Furcal, who has been out since May 6, was batting .366 (49-for-134) with 12 doubles, two triples, five homers, 16 RBIs and eight steals in 32 games for the Dodgers when he hurt his back for the second time in two years. He missed the final 12 games of last year with a similar back injury.

"It was similar, but I think this year's is a little tougher," Furcal said. "But I'm working it out right now with a lot of exercise and I'm feeling much better.

"If I keep going like I'm going right now, everything should be fine and I can help my team. Right now, I feel strong, I feel good."

Light-hitting Los Angeles started 18-14 with Furcal in the lineup but has struggled without him, going 20-30.

Despite missing all those games, Furcal is still fifth on the team in runs scored with 34.

"You can see the struggles our big league club has had since he's been out of the lineup," Bundy said. "He's one of the spark plugs at the top of the order for our offense, and our offense has been very bad since he's been out."

Furcal, who fought a sprained ankle much of last season, said recovering from that and playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic helped spark his hot start this year, the final one of a three-year, $39 million contract.

"I don't think about my contract right now. My main thing is to try to get healthy and try to finish strong," said Furcal, who has lost about five pounds during rehab. "I'm very confident, if this thing doesn't bother me anymore, I'll be healthy and 100 percent and get better and better every day.

"If these four games go good, I think I'll be ready to play Friday or Saturday (for the Dodgers)."

• NOTES -- Garciaparra went 0-for-2 with a walk and Dodgers center fielder Andruw Jones, rehabbing from knee surgery, started at designated hitter and lined a solo homer over the left-field wall in the third inning. ... Dodgers right-hander Jason Schmidt also was with the 51s on Monday. He is scheduled to start Thursday at Cashman Field.