Dodgers shut down Brandon League over shoulder soreness

And here things had been going so remarkably well with this new Dodgers bullpen.

One of the few returning pieces, Brandon League, officially suffered a setback Monday, the right-hander getting shut down for several days with shoulder inflammation. He received an anti-inflammatory injection Monday.

“We kind of feel he overworked after that San Francisco game,” Manager Don Mattingly said in Phoenix. “He struggled a little bit and kind of overdid it in the ’pen. We felt like it really was getting better. He went out to throw yesterday, still not quite right.”

League, who turned 32 Monday, struggled in his second spring outing March 6 against the Giants, allowing five runs and getting only one of his six batters out. He told the Dodgers about the shoulder soreness and did not throw over the weekend, though he was originally scheduled to at least play catch Sunday. When the soreness remained, he was shut down.

“For us at this point, there’s no reason to kind of push him through when we’ve still got time,” Mattingly said. “He’s thrown enough. He’s still got arm strength. We’re better off taking a couple of days here. It’s similar to last spring. We’re going to be patient. Because he’s a valuable guy for us.”

Mattingly said at this point, no MRI was planned. The Dodgers open the regular season April 6, so the Dodgers are still hopeful League will be ready to start the season.