Feeling like old self, Chone Figgins hits another speed bump

Chone Figgins was starting to feel like his old self again, a veteran feeling very few of his 36 years this season.

Then, while running out a bunt this weekend, Figgins strained his left quadriceps, and now he’s on the disabled list. Just like that, the good vibes disappeared.

“He got an MRI and they ended up calling it a significant strain of his quad,” Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said before Sunday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. “I don’t think anybody is real sure what that timetable is now. We’ll just see where that goes in the next couple days.”

The old Figgins was quite good. In 2009, he hit .298 with a .395 on-base percentage, stole 42 bases and finished 10th in the MVP voting with the Los Angeles Angels. The next season, Figgins signed a $36-million contract with the Seattle Mariners, and hasn’t been the same since. He hit below .200 in both 2011 and 2012, and was out of baseball entirely in 2013. This off-season, the Dodgers signed him to a minor-league contract.

Figgins has been a pleasant surprise, providing good defense and a spark of speed off the bench. He’s only hitting .217 but is getting on base, as shown by his .373 on-base percentage.

Now, it’s a wait-and-see approach until Figgins returns from the disabled list. He said the calf is already starting to loosen up, but for somebody who relies on his speed, it’s unclear how long it will take to fully heal.

The one part that sucks about the whole thing is that I was starting to feel like myself again, my old self,” Figgins said. “I was running the bases well, starting to steal some bases, I was making some good plays at third and second, and I’ve been playing more. … I think that’s the toughest part about it. I was starting to get more playing time and the old me was starting to come back. I know it’s part of it, but it makes it hard when you’re starting to feel like yourself.