Dodgers’ Roberts to join 51s tonight for a two-game stint

Nick Christensen

Thursday, May 29, 2003 | 9:49 a.m.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Dave Roberts will start tonight and Friday for the 51s on a rehabilitation assignment.

Not that the 51s need another outfielder. All three starters contributed to Las Vegas' 5-3 win over Salt Lake Wednesday night, and another outfielder, Chin-Feng Chen, scored a run as the night's designated hitter.

51s manager John Shoemaker said the glut of outfielders -- with the arrival of Roberts, Las Vegas will have six -- puts him in the uncomfortable position of having to choose someone to sit down.

"Obviously Roberts is going to start the game," Shoemaker said. "We'll just have to keep one guy out to replace him in the seventh inning in center field, and I probably won't figure it out until later who we're going to go with."

Roberts is supposed to play six innings and get three plate appearances on both nights in Las Vegas.

"We're hoping he can come out of this assignment 100-percent healthy and ready to be activated by the major league team," Shoemaker said, adding that the presence of Roberts in the clubhouse is an added bonus for the team.

"One real positive of having a guy like Dave Roberts around is he's a very quality individual. He played a lot of years in the minor leagues before he got a chance to play in the major leagues, and if everybody watches how he goes about his business and how he works at home plate, he's getting the most out of his ability."

In 34 games for Los Angeles, Roberts hit .281 and was 18-for-20 in stolen bases.

"I'm sure that he's going to come down here and play hard," Shoemaker said.