Dodgers’ Brett Anderson hopeful for quick return from injury

A sigh of relief? That MRI on Brett Anderson’s sore Achilles’ tendon Wednesday could have been extremely bad news.

An all-clear sign? Not exactly, but for now, the Dodgers are more than happy to embrace simple encouragement.

Anderson left Tuesday’s game in the third inning with what was diagnosed by the training staff as irritation in his left Achilles’ tendon. No tear was suspected, but with Anderson in obvious pain, an MRI was scheduled to confirm the finding.

As a precautionary measure, the left-hander was still using a walking boot Wednesday after the MRI results, but considering his extensive list of past injuries, he was feeling relatively upbeat and said it was a “best-case scenario.”

“It’s one of the few parts of my body that I haven’t ever had an injury, so I didn’t know what to expect,” Anderson told reporters in Atlanta. “That was a new one, so it was a little bit concerning. ... I wouldn’t say I’m 100% in the clear, (but) somewhat in the clear is reassuring.

“The sheath around my tendon is a little inflamed, but it was intact. It’s something I’ll have to watch and monitor and add to that checklist of things I have to do on a day-to-day basis, but if one thing doesn’t stand out from the rest, it’s good to go.”

Anderson is taking anti-inflammatory medication and hopes to play catch Thursday and throw a bullpen session Friday. He would not eliminate himself from taking his next turn in the rotation Sunday, though that would seem unlikely.

“I’ll have a better guess tomorrow after I play catch and see how I hold up after that,” he said. “If I feel good tomorrow, I’ll throw my normal pen the next day and kind of go from there and take it day by day.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce their starter for Saturday — Brandon Beachy was returned to the minors — and will struggle to come up with a second-spot starter if Anderson is unable to pitch Sunday.

Anderson said he felt exponentially better compared with how he felt Tuesday.

“Which is shocking to everyone, myself included,” he said. “I was having trouble walking, going down steps and stuff. Yesterday was pretty painful. I woke up this morning and was able to put weight on it and do some mobility stuff.”