Jason Repko said he spoke to Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti after the signing of free-agent fourth outfielder Reed Johnson to see where he stood in the organization.

“I can read the writing on the wall, but I have to stay as positive as I can, play hard and stay healthy to prove that I can help a team,” said Repko. “I know that basically I’m insurance.”

Johnson will replace Juan Pierre as the fourth outfielder and the Dodgers are likely to carry only four outfielders with the abundance of infielders on the roster. Prior to Johnson’s signing, Repko and Xavier Paul appeared to be the candidates for fourth outfielder.

“When I saw Pierre get moved, I got a little excited because I finally had an opportunity to fight for a job,” Repko said. “With Reed and (Brian) Giles, they’re doing everything they can to improve the team, but there’s really no opportunity for me the way I look at it. — Ken Gurnick

Eric Stults, a candidate for the fifth-starter job who is out of options, will start for the Dodgers against the White Sox in a seven-inning “B” game Tuesday. Also scheduled to pitch for the Dodgers are Travis Schlichting, Brent Leach, Carlos Monasterios, Armando Zerpa, Javy Guerra and Kenley Jansen. Monasterios and Zerpa are Rule 5 picks who likely will be lost if they don’t make the Opening Day roster. — Ken Gurnick

Alfredo Amezaga, signed as a free agent, will not play any games this Spring as he heals slowly from microfracture surgery on his left knee. The utilityman had played no fewer than 125 games each of the previous three seasons in Florida but was limited to only 27 games last year before the surgery. — Ken Gurnick

 

Hiroki Kuroda, the Dodgers’ Opening Day starter last year, said he feels better this Spring than last Spring, even though the herniated disk in his neck isn’t completely healed.

Kuroda said his shoulder was tender at the start of Spring Training last year, but he said it feels fine this year. Kuroda said he was very pleased with his bullpen session Thursday.

He is entering the final year of a three-year contract and coming off a season in which he was limited to 20 starts because of three injuries. He said he believes the disk injury was the result of whiplash from being hit on the head by a line drive last Aug. 15 in Arizona.– Ken Gurnick 

Ronnie Belliard was re-signed late after displacing Orlando Hudson at second base last season, but that apparently doesn’t mean he’ll be the every-day starter there this year as management has concerns about his age (35 in April) and his conditioning.

“He knocked in some big runs for us, enough so that you basically played him instead of your regular second baseman,” said manager Joe Torre. “When we made the trade for him, we made no promises he was going to play and, all of a sudden, he caught fire and we really had no choice.

“He was fine with the backup role last season. We know he can play for a short period of time. We have to figure out how many days a week it makes sense.”

As for the conditioning, Belliard’s $850,000 contract will not be guaranteed until he weighs less than 210 pounds. He said he would weigh-in Friday.

Jamey Carroll and Blake DeWitt are also in the mix in what could be a platoon at second base. — Ken Gurnick   

 

Shortstop Rafael Furcal reported one day before the first mandatory workout still shaken from the January 12 earthquake in neighboring Haiti.

“I live on the 12th floor and the building was swinging for hours,” said Furcal, who lives in the northern part of the Dominican Republic, about 150 miles from the epicenter of Port-au-Prince. “It made me dizzy for a couple days. And what is happening in Haiti, man, it’s ugly. It’s really ugly. It makes you feel so bad for those people.” — Ken Gurnick

 

Manager Joe Torre named Vicente Padilla to start the March 5 Spring Training opener against the White Sox, then gave a clue as to the regular-season Opening Day starter.

Torre said that Padilla would be followed by Eric Stults, Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley and Hiroki Kuroda.

The regular season opens April 5 in Pittsburgh and a fifth starter will be needed April 11. If the rotation goes Kershaw, Billingsley, Kuroda and Padilla, Kershaw could open in Pittsburgh and Billingsley would get the home opener April 12 against Arizona.

Padilla has recovered from an accidental gunshot wound and has thrown bullpen sessions performed fielding drills without limitation. — Ken Gurnick

Erir Gagne, trying to find the magic after 2 1/2 years of injuries, has been working with bullpen coach Ken Howell, who has been studying and comparing game video of Gagne dating back to his glory days with the Dodgers.

“We’re finding that I got into a lot of bad habits and it’s my release point, I’ve been cutting across my body and not getting full extension,” said Gagne. “It’s been a while since I’ve been healthy. I can feel it when I fly open, but it helps when he gives me keys to watch for. A lot of it is thought process — stay back, stay tall, stay on the rubber. That’s what he’s helping me with.” — Ken Gurnick

Visa problems are commonplace in baseball and nobody seemed to mind when reliever Ronald Belisario was late to camp last Spring. The difference this Spring is that Belisario is on the Major League roster, he’s out of options and the rest of baseball knows how good he is.

Belisario is one of a handful of Dodgers out of options — so are Eric Stults, Hong-Chih Kuo and Charlie Haeger. But if Belisario is missing long enough and he’s not ready to start the season on time, the Dodgers have a big problem. He can’t be sent to the Minor Leagues without clearing waivers, and there’s no chance he would clear after the way he pitched last year. That’s why management is so annoyed that he’s not in camp, although manager Joe Torre said he’s expected within a few days.

Not having any options remaining is also the reason the Dodgers will look long and hard at Stults and Haeger for either the fifth starter job or, in Haeger’s case, long relief.

Carlos Monasterios and Armando Zerpa, as Rule 5 picks, are in similar situations in that they are likely to be lost if they don’t make the Opening Day roster. Maybe that’s why Torre was paying special attention to Monasterios during his bullpen session Wednesday. — Ken Gurnick

Shortstop Rafael Furcal and second baseman Ronnie Belliard remain the only members of the Dodgers 40-man Major League roster yet to check in to Camelback Ranch-Glendale, but are expected to participate in the first full-squad workout on Friday. Matt Kemp appeared earlier, but did not work out with the club Monday or Tuesday.

Non-roster invitee Brian Giles has yet to arrive, even though he needs to prove to the staff he can rebound from chronic arthritis in his knee to prolong his career after missing the second half of 2009 with San Diego.

Of the 11 non-roster infielders and outfielders invited to camp, six took part in practice Tuesday.

Reliever Ronald Belisario was still missing because of visa problems, but manager Joe Torre said he expected to see him in camp later this week. — Ken Gurnick