DODGERS NOTEBOOK: FURCAL WON'T DROP.

Byline: TONY JACKSON Staff Writer

OAKLAND -- One day after Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal broke out of a 2-for-27 slump with a pair of late-inning singles against San Diego, Dodgers manager Grady Little said he hopes Furcal can continue to improve as a leadoff man.

But Little also said he isn't considering dropping Furcal further lower in the order.

``Not at this point, no,'' Little said. ``I would like to see him get better. But I don't think we saw the real Rafael Furcal early this season. I know he was affected by injuries the first six weeks of the season. But this guy is scoring runs.''

The Dodgers signed Furcal to a three-year, $39 million contract last December, thinking they were filling a void that had existed for years at the top of their lineup. But Furcal entered Friday night's game with Oakland hitting just .251 overall, and his .330 on-base percentage was below the norm for a good leadoff man.

Moreover, the switch-hitting Furcal was hitting .227 from the left side, where not surprisingly he has four times as many at-bats. He also had struck out a team-leading 42 times, with 39 of those coming from the left side. But Furcal had drawn 32 walks, and working the count has never been a problem for him.

``He just needs to get more hits,'' Little said.

Not ready: Dodgers third baseman Bill Mueller, who was supposed to miss four to six weeks following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee May 15, continues to rehabilitate near his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., but still isn't close to returning. Dodgers trainer Stan Johnston said Mueller hasn't suffered a setback, but conceded that the recovery process hasn't gone entirely according to plan and admitted that he is at least somewhat concerned about Mueller.

Two sign: The Dodgers have agreed to terms with their sixth-round draft pick, former Ole Miss left-hander Garrett White, on a $110,000 signing bonus, and with their seventh-rounder, Puerto Rican high school first baseman Jaime Ortiz, on a $115,000 bonus. The club now has signed five of its first 10 picks and is believed to be closing in on a deal with its top pick, suburban Dallas high school lefty Clayton Kershaw. That agreement could be reached as soon as today.

Navarro optioned: As expected, catcher Dioner Navarro was activated from the 15-day disabled list and officially optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he had been playing on a rehab assignment for a bruised right wrist since last week.