"Oft-injured Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal is once again on the disabled list.

Furcal injured his left thumb diving into third base during a four-run fifth inning in Monday's 6-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park, and X-rays taken after the game revealed a fracture.

Furcal's condition was evaluated by team doctors in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The injury will not require surgery, but the Dodgers catalyst will wear a splint for three weeks and is expected to miss about four to six weeks, manager Don Mattingly said.

The only good news from a Dodgers' standpoint is that Furcal can resume some normal baseball activity, including throwing, since the injury doesn't affect his throwing hand.

"It's one of those things that you have to deal with, and I'd rather it happened now than it happen later," in the season, Mattingly said.

Furcal has missed 247 games since joining the team in 2006 with back and leg injuries, and has had wrist problems this spring.

A frustrated Furcal told reporters after Monday's game he was mulling retirement.

Mattingly said retirement never came up when he spoke with Furcal on Tuesday, although he acknowledged Furcal sounded "down."

"He's frustrated," Mattingly said. "He's one of those guys that cares so much, he feels like he let the team down because he got hurt. It's not his fault that he got hurt.""