1:06pm: Furcal's agent Paul Kinzer ended the retirement talk, telling Yahoo's Tim Brown, "He'll be back. He's just frustrated" (Twitter link).
7:34am: Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal broke his thumb last night, and MLB.com's Ken Gurnick has his postgame reaction:
"I think about retiring if I'm not healthy. I feel so good with my back, now this — what do you think I am thinking?"
The recovery time could be four to six weeks, but Gurnick says Furcal will see a hand specialist today. Most likely, the 33-year-old shortstop was just emotional in the aftermath of yet another injury. He'll probably be talked out of the retirement idea by Dodgers teammates and management as well as his agent.
Furcal's contract, signed in December of 2008 amid all kinds of drama, calls for a $12MM salary this year. He also has a 2012 option for the same salary that vests with 600 plate appearances, which is no longer possible.
Most teams would suffer a major downgrade if they lost their starting shortstop, and the Dodgers are no exception. Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times runs through the team's internal options.
