Baseball America correspondent Tony Jackson reports that Dodgers third baseman Andy LaRoche will miss the next eight to ten weeks after having surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb.

The injury is the latest in a series of health-related problems for LaRoche, who ranks second among Dodgers prospects and 31st in all of baseball. LaRoche excelled last season with Triple-A Las Vegas, but back problems limited him to 358 at-bats last year between Triple-A and the majors. In 2006, LaRoche had shoulder surgery after the season.

LaRoche hit .309/.399/.589 in 311 appearances with Las Vegas last year, including 39 walks and 42 stikeouts. With LaRoche out, the Dodgers will likely turn to the also oft-injured Nomar Garciaparra as their starting third baseman.