Team’s loss of Drew could be Loney’s gain

VERO BEACH, FLA. — James Loney wasn’t necessarily happy to see outfielder J.D. Drew leave Los Angeles for Boston as a free agent this winter.

“He’s a tremendous player,” Loney said.

But he wasn’t necessarily unhappy either. That’s because Drew’s departure allowed the 22-year-old first baseman to claim his preferred uniform number, 7, which Drew wore last year. And it also may have helped create an opportunity for Loney to win a roster spot that could include work as a backup outfielder.

With Marlon Anderson still rehabilitating from off-season elbow surgery and 39-year-old free-agent acquisition Luis Gonzalez probably needing regular rest, Dodgers Manager Grady Little has been experimenting with infielders Loney, Andy La Roche and Wilson Valdez in the outfield.

And though Loney has struggled in the field, he’s convincing the Dodgers that his bat demands a spot on the roster. He went three for three in Friday’s 8-7 win over the Minnesota Twins to raise his Grapefruit League average to .500.

“It’s definitely a compliment,” Loney said of the team’s search to find him a position. “I feel like the work ethic that I have and just the way I feel at the plate can help a major league team.”

Loney, who will be back in right field today against the Florida Marlins, hit .438 last spring. But with Nomar Garciaparra at first base, Loney spent most of the year at triple-A Las Vegas, where he led all of professional baseball with a .380 average. He also had three stints in the majors, batting .284 in 48 games, including a memorable nine-RBI game at Colorado in September.

Loney’s success at the plate can be partly traced to the performance-enhancing contact lenses he began wearing full-time last year. Before that, he’d hit better than .300 once in four minor league seasons.

“It’s kind of like wearing sunglasses,” he said of the red contacts, which reduce glare but give his eyes an eerie tint. “I’m seeing the ball well.”

Where Loney will eventually be seen, Little said, is Dodger Stadium. But whether he makes the 2007 roster is uncertain, even if he finishes the spring at .500.

“It’ll be hard to ignore, of course,” Little said. “But we can’t put all the stock in what goes on here in spring training.

“We’ve got to take a look at the whole big picture.”

Furcal still sidelined

Little said his decision to push back Rafael Furcal’s return wasn’t caused by a setback in the shortstop’s rehabilitation of a sore right shoulder, which has sidelined him since March 1. Little had hoped to have him back in the lineup this weekend but now says “that was wishful thinking.”

“We recollected our thoughts and saw how much time we have left and we’re still on the path of not rushing him,” said Little, who hopes to have Furcal back by the middle of next week.

That, the manager said, still gives him enough time to be ready for opening day.

But Little is less optimistic about Anderson, who tried to come back too early from arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow and hasn’t played at all this spring.

Big-league dreams

The Dodgers opened their minor league camp with more than 150 players going through their first full-squad workout of the spring.... Little said the first round of roster cuts could be decided after today’s split-squad doubleheader with Florida.

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