DODGERS NOTEBOOK: IZTURIS WILL PLAY AT THIRD.

Byline: TONY JACKSON  Staff Writer

The Dodgers have a new third baseman. His name is Cesar Izturis.

Mere days after balking at manager Grady Little's suggestion that he move to the hot corner, where he never has played in his life save a two-inning stint several years ago in the Florida Instructional League, Izturis, the Dodgers shortstop, decided to make the switch on the day he was activated from the 60-day disabled list.

By agreeing earlier, Izturis could have played a game or two at third on his just-completed rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Las Vegas. As it is, he took grounders on Tuesday, will do so again today and will make his debut on Thursday.

``It was a tough decision, for him and for us,'' Little said. ``(But) he wants to play and help this team the best way he can.''

With that, the season-long mystery of where Izturis would fit when he returned from reconstructive elbow surgery finally was cleared up, at least for a while. Third baseman Bill Mueller, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on May 15 and was expected to miss four to six weeks, still isn't close to returning, and general manager Ned Colletti allowed for the possibility on Tuesday that Mueller won't be back all year.

``I'm not convinced (that he will),'' Colletti said. ``He is struggling with his rehab. He's trying, but he isn't progressing at a rapid pace.''

Shortstop Rafael Furcal, who was signed to a three-year, $39 million free-agent contract last winter, has committed 16 errors this season. Izturis, meanwhile, won a Gold Glove in 2004, leading to the question of whether this is the right move. It's a question Izturis chose not to touch.

``It's their decision,'' he said. ``Everybody knows what the situation is. (Third) is the only spot they have up here, so I have to take it. They think this is better for the team, so I have to do it.''

Draft update: With all three of their first-round draft picks signed, the Dodgers have turned their attention to fourth-rounder Kyle Orr, a high school first baseman out of Canada who figures to present them with their most difficult negotiations. Dodgers scouting director Logan White and agent Matt Sosnick, who is advising Orr, are believed to be about $125,000-$150,000 apart. The Dodgers have yet to secure a work visa for Orr, which is required because he is a Canadian citizen.