Anderson to have surgery on elbow

Marlon Anderson, who keyed the Dodgers’ stretch drive to a playoff berth last season, will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow Friday and is expected to be sidelined for at least two months.

An MRI exam taken late Monday showed Anderson had bone chips and scar tissue in the elbow, which was operated on in October. Anderson tried to come back too quickly from that operation and wound up sitting out most of spring training. The soreness followed him into the regular season, limiting him to one start and 15 pinch-hit appearances before he went on the disabled list Sunday.

“He was trying to operate not totally sound and that was not good,” Dodgers Manager Grady Little said.

A Dodgers spokesman who talked with Anderson on Tuesday said he was disappointed with the news but resigned to the need for more surgery. The operation will be performed by Dr. Neal El Attrache at the Kerlan-Jobe Surgery Center in Los Angeles.

The versatile Anderson, 33, who played three positions for the Dodgers after coming over from the Washington Nationals in an Aug. 31 trade, batted .375 with seven home runs and 15 runs batted in in 25 games last year. His absence leaves slumping Wilson Betemit as the Dodgers’ lone left-handed bat off the bench.

“We feel comfortable,” Little said. “What Betemit’s been able to do for us the last couple of days has been very productive.”

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Right-hander Jason Schmidt, limited to three April starts by shoulder bursitis, is making progress in his rehabilitation. But he said it’s still painful to have to sit on the bench each night and watch his teammates play without him.

“That’s the worst part of the whole thing,” he said. “You can play catch all day long and not feel any better, really. Ultimately, I just want to get in that game and start competing and help this team.”

Schmidt, who signed a three-year, $47-million contract in December, began soft-tossing last week without pain. But he said it’s too early to guess when he might be able to throw off a mound.

“I have no clue,” he said. “I’ve only played catch. At 30 feet. So who knows? I could do that left-handed.

“But as far as progress, it’s nice to get out there and be doing something different [rather] than just sitting around.”

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Pitching in the major leagues was a lot easier than watching your kids play there, said Dave LaRoche, one of the few people who has done both.

“Your heart goes with every mistake they make and [every] strikeout in a big situation,” said LaRoche, father of Dodgers infielder Andy LaRoche and Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche as well as a former big-leaguer who pitched for the Angels and four other teams in a 14-year career.

“I don’t know how to put it in words but I’m certainly proud of them. All their hard work’s paid off.”

Andy LaRoche was called up Sunday and made his major league debut that afternoon at Turner Field -- the same place where his brother made his debut three years earlier. The elder LaRoche, a double-A pitching coach for the Toronto Blue Jays, wasn’t able to make that game but he was excused by the team to see the first three games of the Dodgers’ series in Miami.

“How exciting to see their dreams come true,” he said. “They used to be my kids. Now I’m their dad.”

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kevin.baxter@latimes.com