DODGERS NOTEBOOK: Kuroda out little longer.

Byline: Tony Jackson, Staff Writer

Dodgers right-hander Hiroki Kuroda, whom club officials had hoped would be ready to come off the 15-day disabled list as soon as he becomes eligible next Wednesday, will instead need additional time to recover from a mild strain of his left oblique.

Kuroda presently isn't allowed to participate in any baseball activity, including playing catch, and Dodgers trainer Stan Conte said the pitcher almost certainly will need to make at least one start in a minor-league game before being activated.

"There is still some tightness in his side, but there is no question he is better," Conte said. "With this type of injury, we definitely want him to have (at least) a bullpen. In a perfect scenario, you want him to do a rehab start to make sure that everything is OK. These (oblique) injuries are notorious for coming back, and that is one of the things we are really trying to avoid."

In other injury news, right-hander Jason Schmidt threw 73 pitches in an extended spring training game and felt good afterward, but Conte said Schmidt will make at least one more extended spring start before beginning a minor-league rehabilitation assignment. Oft-injured infield prospect Tony Abreu is expected to miss three to six weeks after suffering a high sprain of his right ankle sliding into second base in a minor-league spring-training game a couple of weeks ago.

Trade follow-up

The Dodgers have until June1 to choose the two low-level minor leaguers they will acquire from Pittsburgh for outfielder Delwyn Young, whom they traded to the Pirates on Tuesday. Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said those names will come from a small pool of players the clubs agreed upon before the trade, although Colletti wouldn't say how big that pool is.

Colletti did say the Dodgers have the option of choosing a single, more highly regarded player instead of two lesser ones, although even that player would a low-level minor leaguer.

Hudson's cause

Dodgers second baseman Orlando Hudson chose the occasion of Jackie Robinson Day to announce the launch of his Around the Mound Tour, a project he hopes will lure more African-American youngsters to baseball. Hudson has recruited six other African-American major leaguers, including teammate Juan Pierre, to join him on visits to predominantly black schools, Little League teams and RBI programs in cities around the league.

"Back home (in South Carolina), a lot of kids say to me, 'Orlando, I can't play that white man's game'," Hudson said. "It's hard to draw young black kids to the game when they can't really relate to it. If you go to an NBA game or even an NFL game, it's all hip-hop music. We're not going to hear hip-hop playing before a (baseball) game. That isn't going to happen."