Dodgers’ Andre Ethier photographed making obscene gesture

Andre Ethier has learned how to control his temper when striking out.

What he hasn’t learned how to do is ignore the click of a camera.

As a result, Ethier had to stand in front of his locker Thursday and explain why pictures of him flipping off credentialed photographers appeared on a sports gossip site earlier in the day.

“It was an inspirational piece,” he said. “They asked me what I thought of Dylan Hernandez.”

He was kidding. Or so we would like to think.

But this wasn’t entirely a laughing matter. The commissioner’s office is looking into the incident, according to spokesman Pat Courtney. Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly spoke to Ethier, who is expected to talk over the situation with General Manager Ned Colletti in Chicago this weekend.

The photographs were taken during batting practice Monday.

Ethier said the incessant camera clicks made him snap.

“If you’re going to stand there and take the same picture for 15 minutes, what’s the difference between the first and the 15th minute?” Ethier asked. “It just got kind of annoying. I guess I slipped up, and that temper you guys sometimes like to write about got ahead of me and I didn’t use my head and use the best judgment in that situation. I made a mistake of it and it’s unfortunate.”

Ethier apologized. Sort of.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s a dumb incident. Obviously, it’s an age when someone can’t wait to plug their flash drive in their computer and get their 15 minutes of fame off of something and try to make a name for themselves. Obviously, this is what this person is about. You have to always watch your guard and watch who you’re dealing with out there.”

Padilla to the DL

Stand-in closer Vicente Padilla was put on the 15-day disabled list because of an irritated nerve in his forearm — the same nerve that forced him to undergo surgery in spring training.

The move is retroactive to Saturday, meaning Padilla is eligible to be activated on May 29. Mattingly and trainer Stan Conte said they expect Padilla to be ready to pitch by then.

“He’s feeling a little better today, which is encouraging,” Mattingly said. “But we’re on Day 6, and realistically we probably wouldn’t be able to use him again until Day 9 or 10, and then we’d have to give him a day off and we’re at Day 12.

“It just makes sense for us to give him a chance to get healthy and try to deal with the long term.”

With Jonathan Broxton and Padilla sidelined, Mattingly said the Dodgers would call on Matt Guerrier and Kenley Jansen to close.

Taking Padilla’s place on the active roster was Ramon Troncoso, who was summoned from triple-A Albuquerque.

Troncoso posted a 4.91 earned-run average in Albuquerque. He had an ERA of 20.25 in his two games with the Dodgers in April.

Kuo on the mend

Hong-Chih Kuo, who was put on the disabled list last week because of an anxiety disorder, is about to embark on a trip that he hopes will end with his rejoining the Dodgers.

Kuo is scheduled to travel on Monday to the Dodgers’ spring-training complex in Arizona, where he will work out.

Kuo overcame a related problem in 2009, when he suddenly lost the ability to throw a strike. He returned to become an All-Star the next season.

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com