Don Mattingly not worried about how Andre Ethier will play

Reporting from Phoenix -- Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said he isn’t particularly concerned about whether Andre Ethier’s contract status will hinder his performance.

Ethier, who will be paid $10.95 million this season, can become a free agent at the end of the season. Ethier was curt Saturday when asked about his future.

“You’re always dealing with those issues,” Mattingly said. “The guys that are moving toward free agency are usually working on a year deal.

“Some guys handle it. Some guys put too much pressure on themselves. Some guys flourish.”

In his six seasons as a major leaguer, Ethier has developed a reputation for being short-fused. Mattingly said at the end of last season that Ethier’s inability to control his emotions resulted in a waste of 100 at-bats.

“That’s always going to be ‘Dre, though,” Mattingly said. “He’s always angry, pretty much. Some guys have an edge. That’s the way they have to play.”

Ethier is recovering from a minor knee operation but Mattingly said he didn’t think it would affect his spring schedule. Early in the exhibition season, Mattingly said he planned for his everyday players to play two games, then take one off.

On the mend

Six months removed from Tommy John surgery, Rubby De La Rosa said his reconstructed elbow “feels perfect.”

De La Rosa, who broke into the major leagues last season as 22-year-old armed with a 100-mph fastball, has been throwing at 90 feet. He said he thinks he could be throwing off a mound in April and return to game action around the All-Star break.

Based on conversations he had last year with other players who have had the surgery, De La Rosa said he had expected to encounter setbacks in his recovery. So far, he said there have been none.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said.

Short hops

The Dodgers will hold their annual open tryout at Camelback Ranch from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday. For information on how to participate, call (323) 224-1512. … Mattingly said the Dodgers are working to schedule a “B” game March 4 so that Clayton Kershaw can pitch a couple of innings before making his exhibition season debut. … Shane Lindsay, a non-roster pitcher, has been shut down because of a sore shoulder.

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com

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