Jul 11, 2008 4:45 pm US/Pacific
Furcal Expects To Return As Early As September
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
Rafael Furcal still has high hopes for this season for himself and for the Dodgers.
The former National League Rookie of the Year underwent back surgery to repair a bulging disk on July 3. Speaking with reporters for the first time since the surgery, Furcal sounded optimistic about playing again this season.
"I feel much better than I did before," Furcal said. "The doctor said that kind of surgery takes six, seven, eight weeks. It just depends how the body responds...I think, with three months left, I can play in September. But I don't want to go to the field too soon."
At the time that Furcal was placed on the disabled list, he was off to perhaps the best start of his career, hitting a team-leading .366 with five homers, 16 RBI, and 34 runs scored in just 32 games.
The fast start was fortuitous for Furcal being that he is a free agent at the end of the season, but the short stop insists that his health is his primary concern and that he will not rush back to the field in order to try to cash in by padding his stats.
"For me, getting healthy is the first thing," he said. "Free agency is another thing. I don't want to think of free agency when I can't do anything about it."
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