" Rafael Furcal took a sigh of relief and shook his head.

He smiled.

The MRI exam Furcal underwent on his back Tuesday was negative, which was positive news for the All-Star shortstop who had an operation two years ago for a herniated disk. The exam showed no disk or nerve problems.

Although Furcal remained out of the lineup and said his back was still tender, he was hopeful that he could be back in three to five days.

"I'm happy because I don't want to be on the 15-day DL," he said. "I don't want another surgery."

Furcal said he feared for the worst and wondered whether his career might be over.

Furcal was injured while throwing across his body in the fifth inning of the Dodgers' 10-5 loss to the San Diego Padres on Monday.

He didn't say anything to the training staff or Manager Joe Torre, who removed him from the game in the seventh inning only because the Dodgers were on the wrong end of a lopsided score.

Trouble started when Furcal returned home.

His back stiffened when he tried to sit on a couch. He had trouble sleeping that night.

"I was scared," he said. "I could barely walk."

Furcal said his older brother, Manuel, had to drive him to Dodger Stadium on Tuesday.

The diagnosis he received that day from Dr. Robert Watson relieved him of his fears.

Torre said the Dodgers will hold off the decision of whether to put Furcal on the disabled list for at least a couple of days.

"It's worth waiting to see if it gets better," Torre said.

With Furcal out of the lineup, Jamey Carroll started at shortstop."