LAS VEGAS -- Andruw Jones hit just two home runs in 133 Major League at-bats this season before undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on May 27 to repair torn cartilage.

After a second-inning walk, it took just one official at-bat for Jones to homer Monday in the first game of his rehab stint with Triple-A Las Vegas.

After falling behind in the count, 0-2, and fouling off three straight pitches, Jones lined a curveball over the 328-foot sign in left field.

"He just kept throwing some pitches over the plate, and they were running in a little bit, and I just got a pitch over the plate to hit, and I just made contact," Jones said. "I was just not doing well when I started the season. It was good to have the time out and get yourself mentally ready and physically ready and come back and try to be yourself again."

Not only did Jones feel good after going 1-for-3 as the designated hitter, but shortstop Rafael Furcal and third baseman Nomar Garciaparra came away feeling good after each played four innings in the field.

Furcal, playing for the first time since straining his back on May 5, went 1-for-3 with an RBI double. Garciaparra went 0-for-2 with a walk and cleanly fielded his only chance in the field.

"Overall I thought they did what they were here to get done, see some pitches, take some swings, just get back on the baseball field," said Las Vegas manager Lorenzo Bundy.

Dodgers trainer Stan Conte plans to talk with all three players before the team solidifies its plans for the trio on Tuesday, but Furcal is expected to play shortstop after originally being slated for a DH, Garciaparra is tentatively scheduled for third, although he could man short if Furcal does DH, and Jones is expected to get his first start in center field.

"I'm trying to go out there and start feeling the ground back," Jones said of his return to the field. "It's not the same when you're shagging fly balls in batting practice. It's just different."

Furcal did not get any fielding chances at shortstop on Monday, but he saw plenty of pitches at the plate.

He looked at 17 pitches in three at-bats as he tried to get back the feel that helped him hit .366 with 34 runs scored, 12 doubles, five homers, a .597 slugging percentage and a .448 on-base percentage before the injury, all club highs. At the time of his injury, he led the league in runs and hits (49) and ranked second in batting average.

"You've got to go with patience when you've got two months you don't see any pitches," Furcal said. "You've got to find out where the strike zone's at. It was pretty good."

As is always the case with a back injury, Furcal said it will be important to see how he feels Tuesday after playing in Monday's game.

Garciaparra has been in Vegas to rehab before, hitting a homer in two at-bats on June 17 before his strained left calf flared up a bit, causing him to end that stint.

"I was feeling it out there the last time just a little bit, and that's why I stopped, because it wasn't worth pushing, working through because it was getting that feeling that I had before that builds up to it," Garciaparra said. "I'm not feeling that now, so that's good, so I've got to continue it."

As for Jones, he had been a major disappointment before the injury, batting just .165 with the two home runs and seven RBIs, not what the team was expecting when it signed the slugger to a two-year, $36.2 million deal in the offseason.

He also struck out 45 times in 133 at-bats, as his ailing knee affected his approach at the plate.

"Today he stayed within the strike zone," Bundy said. "He didn't go out of the strike zone. Some of the games I've seen on TV he swung at some balls that were off the plate, outside of the strike zone. Today he was more selective, more patient, he walked, he got the home run on a breaking ball up in the zone. I think it's a good start."

Garciaparra said the rehabbing players are just focused on getting their work in and having quality at-bats, not the results.

That may be true, but it couldn't hurt Jones' confidence to see a ball go over the fence his first game back following knee surgery after his struggles earlier in the year.

"It's just been a while since I've seen live pitching, just trying to get a feel back for it and trying to get things going," Jones said. "You work on it in [batting practice] and batting in the cages and stuff, but when the game starts it's totally different.

"I got a couple pitches over the plate, made some good swings and just made some good contact. I feel good, so we'll see tomorrow what happens, and we'll go from there."