CHICAGO -- He tried the second spot. He tried the eighth spot. He's done trying. Cubs manager Lou Piniella has seen enough of Kosuke Fukudome for the time being, and Fukudome will not be in the lineup on Saturday for Game 3 of the National League Division Series between the Cubs and Dodgers.

"From now on, I don't want to hear about Fukudome anymore as far as whether he's going to play or not," Piniella said when a reporter asked him about Fukudome's slump. "I'm going to play [Mike] Fontenot or Reed Johnson or somebody else, and that's the end of that story. The kid is struggling, and there's no sense sending him out there anymore."

Fukudome had a strong first half in his first season in the United States. As late as June 27, he was hitting .301 with a .407 on-base percentage. In the second half, though, his numbers plummeted and his playing time waned.

Though he homered in the final game of the regular season, Fukudome ended the year on a 16-for-83 (.193) slide. In the postseason, he's 0-for-8 with four strikeouts, including three K's in an 0-for-4 showing in Thursday's 10-3 loss to the Dodgers. Fukudome batted second in the series opener and eighth in Game 2.

Thus, for Game 3, it's likely Fukudome will sit. Piniella has two primary options in such a scenario. He could move Mark DeRosa to right field and start Fontenot at second base, or he could start Johnson in right.

One roadblock to sitting Fukudome has been DeRosa's recovery from a left calf strain. Piniella was reluctant to ask the rehabbing DeRosa to cover ground in the outfield. However, DeRosa is coming along well, opening that option up again.