The Dodgers are hopeful that after Vicente Padilla underwent surgery to free a nerve that was trapped by a muscle in his right forearm that he could begin playing catch before the end of spring training. Los Angeles will still be without Padilla to begin the season. The surgery was performed by team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache and Dr. Steve Shin, who conveyed the results to Dodgers trainer Stan Conte at Camelback Ranch. "Stan said it went well," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "[Padilla] is supposed to be back in Arizona sometime [on Friday], and he'll start the rehab process. What I got was that his best outlook is three or four weeks, then he'll start tossing."