Dodgers recall utilityman Elian Herrera, send Chris Withrow down [Updated]

This move ought to turn their season around, or at least help get the Dodgers through the weekend.

Prior to Thursday’s game against the Padres in San Diego, the Dodgers announced they had called utilityman Elian Herrera back from triple-A Albuquerque and returned right-hander Chris Withrow.

The Dodgers have no screaming current need for Herrera, unless Skip Schumaker is planning on serving his two-game suspension for the Diamondbacks brawl on Friday and Saturday. Schumaker was in the lineup Thursday in left field.

Herrera’s stay could be brief, the Dodgers are expected to call Matt Magill up Sunday to start against the Padres.

[Updated at 5:25 p.m., June 20: Manager Don Matingly told reporters they planned to keep the same number of position players even on Sunday, so the other half of the Magill move will have to be a pitcher. There was no update on Schumaker’s suspension appeal.]

Withrow did not have the best numbers (5.40 ERA, 1.80 WHIP), but showed a strong arm in his three relief appearances and chances are good he’ll be back at some point.

The switch-hitting Herrera was batting .300 with five homers and 28 RBI in 61 games with the Isotopes. He has appeared in only one game this season with the Dodgers, but in 68 career games has a .253 batting average with a home run and 17 RBI.