Now Dodgers’ Carl Crawford is out with the flu

There’s no good time to get the flu, but if it has to happen there are better times.

Carl Crawford tweaked his right shoulder at the plate Tuesday at Camelback Ranch and left the triple-A game against the Mariners after one at-bat. The Dodgers said the injury was minor, he was scheduled to have Wednesday off anyway and would return to action Thursday.

But Wednesday he showed up to camp under the weather — not to be confused with Down Under — and was given antibiotics for the flu and sent home, according to mlb.com. He’s now expected to be out at least a couple of days.

Crawford remained in camp to wait for his fiancée to give birth while the Dodgers left to open the season in Australia.

Crawford, 32, has been dogged by injury in recent years. He missed most of the 2012 season after surgeries to his left elbow and wrist. He returned last season and had an up-and-down season. He missed most of June with a strained hamstring, which was why the Dodgers called up Yasiel Puig.

He had a nagging quadriceps injury early this spring, and despite looking forward to a full season of health, hit only .188 (six for 32) in the Cactus League, with one RBI and five runs scored.

Indeed, of the Dodgers’ four star outfielders, only Andre Ethier (.324) hit this spring. Puig (.122, five for 41) struggled even worse than Crawford and Matt Kemp is still recovering from off-season foot surgery and didn’t appear in a regular spring game.