Dodgers put A.J. Ellis on the disabled list
Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis walks back to the dugout after striking out against the Diamondbacks earlier this month.
The Dodgers put a catcher on the 15-day disabled list Monday, but it wasn’t Yasmani Grandal, whose mask was struck by a foul ball Sunday.
The catcher in question was A.J. Ellis, who replaced Grandal on Sunday in the Dodgers’ 5-0 victory over the Washington Nationals.
Ellis has inflammation in his right knee, which required the Dodgers to promote Austin Barnes from triple-A Oklahoma City to take his place on the active roster. With Manager Don Mattingly wanting to give Grandal a couple of days off, Barnes started behind the plate in the series opener against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.
Mattingly described Ellis’ injury as relatively minor. An MRI examination revealed no structural damage, the manager said.
“He was able to hit, able to throw,” Mattingly said. “He could pretty much do everything except get into a deep crouch and that’s really one thing we have to be able to do.”
Mattingly said Ellis first experience discomfort on the team’s charter flight from Washington to Atlanta.
As for Grandal, he was able to pinch-hit in the ninth inning of the Dodgers’ 7-5 series-opening defeat to the Braves. Grandal singled to left field.
“I think we dodged a bullet,” Mattingly said.
Mattingly was told by the team’s medical staff that Grandal could play, but Mattingly exercised caution and said he was inclined to hold him out of the lineup until the series finale Wednesday.
For Barnes, his promotion to the major leagues was his second. He played in five games in his previous callup, which was in late May. He was batting .304 in triple A.
Roster shuffle
Carl Crawford is expected to be activated Tuesday from the 60-day disabled list, meaning the Dodgers will have to make a major roster decision.
The Dodgers could be disinclined to option utilityman Enrique Hernandez to the minors, as he is the backup to 36-year-old Jimmy Rollins at shortstop. Alberto Callaspo is batting only .225, but the team prefers him as the backup third baseman over Alex Guerrero, who is viewed as a defensive liability. Guerrero can’t be sent to the minor leagues without his consent.
Reserve outfielder Scott Van Slyke could be the odd-man out. Van Slyke has started only once in the last 24 days.
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