"Rafael Furcal tapped his bare stomach and declared he was ready for opening day.

His midsection was protruding but didn't look nearly as large as it did when the Dodgers started full-squad workouts five weeks ago.

Asked how much weight he had lost, Furcal said, "Five pounds."

Only five?

The All-Star shortstop explained that what looked like fat wasn't fat. His expanded waistline was the result of bloating, a side effect of medication he took in the winter.

Reporting from Phoenix — Furcal said he contracted an illness in January by eating contaminated meat in his native Dominican Republic.

"I had some bacteria in my stomach," Furcal said. "I couldn't digest food."

Furcal continued to work out, albeit with some difficulty.

"My body didn't feel well," he said.

Because of the remedy he took, he looked soft in the belly when reporting to spring training. But he said he weighed in at 193 pounds for his entrance physical, which is around where he had been at the start of previous camps.

Furcal said he is around his normal playing weight these days.

"I feel better," he said. "I'm moving better now. I'm closer to my normal weight. I like being 185, 188."

Furcal has a lot at stake this season. If he makes 600 plate appearances, his $12-million team option for 2012 becomes guaranteed.

Furcal, who is batting .250 this spring, said he has felt better at the plate in the last week or so."