Many moons ago, Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal broke his thumb while sliding into a base. Furcal was so frustrated after the injury that he talked about retiring, but that talk was quickly dismissed, and a month later, Furcal is nearing a return to the bigs. From the Dodgers' official Twitter:
Rafael Furcal Nearing Rehab Assignment In Return From Broken Thumb
Mattingly on Furcal: We're talking about him going to Triple-A on Saturday (in Tucson). He's going to hit only left-handed at first
So Furcal could begin a minor-league rehab assignment as soon as this Saturday. It won’t be a quick assignment, as Furcal needs to get himself back up to speed and still can’t swing right-handed without a little discomfort, but he’s made a lot of progress and may find his way back into the Dodgers’ lineup within two weeks.
In Furcal's absence, Jamey Carroll has been asked to shoulder the load at shortstop, and he's responded by batting .308 with a .370 OBP. Those numbers probably aren't going to keep up, but Carroll has done an admirable job of filling in to date.
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