"The Dodgers will take their good news where they can get it when it comes to Rafael Furcal.

Like this: He only broke his thumb, which won't require surgery.

And this: It's April, so there will be plenty of season left when the Dodgers expect to get Furcal back, four to six weeks from now.

"It's not a shot you want to take, really," Manager Don Mattingly said before Tuesday's game against the Giants. "It's one of those things you deal with. I'd rather it happen now than later."

The Dodgers' oft-injured shortstop, who had just come back from a wrist injury, hurt his left thumb while sliding headfirst into third base in the fifth inning on Monday. A break was revealed by an X-ray on Monday night, and an examination by a hand specialist in Southern California on Tuesday showed nothing worse.

The Dodgers promoted infielder Ivan DeJesus from Class AAA to take Furcal's roster spot, but the club sees him more as a second baseman or third baseman. Jamey Carroll will get most of the time at shortstop, with Juan Uribe playing if Carroll is not in the lineup.

"It feels like Jamey has the most range out there," Mattingly said. "He makes us the best defensively out of our group of guys."

Carroll, a 37-year-old journeyman, has played 164 games at shortstop over his 10-year career, including 69 last year."