Hamstring problem could end Matt Kemp’s comeback

CINCINNATI — Matt Kemp’s hopes of returning to the Dodgers this season were a dealt a setback Friday when he was shut down indefinitely with a tight right hamstring.

Kemp, who has been rehabbing a left ankle sprain, experienced some hamstring tightness while running the bases Thursday at the Dodgers’ minor league facility in Glendale, Ariz. Kemp spent a month on the disabled list earlier this summer with a mild strain of the same hamstring.

Dodger Manager Don Mattingly said he was uncertain how long Kemp would be held out of driills but if he can’t run or hit for an extended period it would probably prevent him from rejoining the Dodgers in time for the postseason, if the team qualifies.

“I don’t like to concede anything really,” Mattingly said. “But [when] the hamstring kind of jumps back in there and becomes involved, that means we have more issues.

“Obviously at some point we run out of time.”

Kemp, who is hitting .263, hasn’t played for the Dodgers since July 21. In a recent five-game rehab assignment with Single A Rancho Cucamonga, Kemp went hitless in 18 at-bats with seven strikeouts.

Meanwhile, left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu, who skipped his last turn with a sore back, will throw a bullpen session Sunday in the hope of returning to the rotation next week.