Roster Thoughts: Furcal, Uribe, Padilla, Thames, Hawksworth

Every once in a while, Vin Scully likes to say, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." I'm beginning to feel that way about the 2011 Dodgers. Sure, we spend a lot of time thinking about upcoming roster moves, especially with several players so close to returning from injury, but in the end it seems to be a fruitless exercise, because every door closed on an injury seems to break a window. The Dodgers entered Friday with eight players on the disabled list, and figure to enter Saturday with a figure higher than that.

Rafael Furcal hurt his left side on a throw to third base tonight in the second inning. During the postgame show, manager Don Mattingly didn't have any test results but thought it was an oblique injury for Furcal, which means more than a few more weeks on the shelf.

The Dodgers can't activate Juan Uribe until Sunday, so it seems likely that they might call up another infielder for the bench, like Russ Mitchell or Ivan DeJesus Jr., for Saturday's game. Uribe struck out in his first plate appearance tonight in his second rehab game with Rancho Cucamonga. It seems like the Dodgers were going to wait until the Philadelphia series to activate Uribe, but don't be surprised to see him starting on Sunday in Cincinnati.

Joining the Dodgers in Philadelphia will likely be Marcus Thames, who is shifting his rehab to be with Double A Chattanooga, so he is closer to the Dodgers when he is ready for activation. Who gets removed from the roster when Thames returns is still in question. It seemed like the Dodgers were likely to option Jerry Sands upon Thames' return, though Furcal's injury severely weakens the bench. Keeping Sands and ditching Juan Castro seems like an obvious choice, though it does leave Aaron Miles as the only backup infielder (non first base division).

Jon Garland is headed for the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation at some point prior to Tuesday's game, but it's just a matter of timing. Vicente Padilla was supposed to be activated tonight, but he experienced more neck problems, similar to the bulging disc that put him on the DL late last season. If Padilla isn't ready to return, the Dodgers would likely bring up another reliever instead, as Rubby De La Rosa is inserted into the rotation. The only pitcher left on the 40-man roster that isn't on the disabled list (majors or minors) is John Ely, so the only real option is waiting for Blake Hawksworth to complete his rehab. Hawksworth is scheduled to pitch Saturday for Rancho Cucamonga.

But if I were you, keeping track at home, I would use a pencil, not a pen to keep track of these moves.