The Los Angeles Dodgers got a new lease on life last week when they called up human spark plug Yasiel Puig, but Monday night's heart-breaking loss to the Diamondbacks demonstrated that LA may still need the good health of shortstop Hanley Ramirez and outfielder Matt Kemp to succeed.
Dodgers injury updates: Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp still feeling discomfort in sore hamstrings
The heart of the Dodgers’ lineup will be without two of its biggest bats for a little while longer.
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More Dodgers: Your Daily Puig Update
It may be a while before that happens, however, as Ramirez and Kemp are both still battling hamstring discomfort, report Ken Gurnick and Austin Laymance of MLB.com.
Fixing the Blue Jays. Sort of.
Toronto may or may not be broken, but the team certainly needs help. Han-Ram has sat out five consecutive games since returning from the disabled list early last week and may not return to the starting lineup until Friday. The Dodgers thought the 29-year-old was healthy after missing 28 games with a strain in his left hammy, but swelling behind his knee shut him down after just two starts. An MRI taken Sunday did not show any structural damage, so a third trip to the DL is unlikely at this point, but it shouldn’t be completely ruled out given his health woes thus far this season.
Kemp, who has struggled mightily at the dish through 51 games this season, is a little further behind in his recovery. The All-Star center fielder tried stepping up the intensity of his workout on Sunday, but felt discomfort in his leg as he did so. Manager Don Mattingly is still optimistic that it will take just another “couple of days” until Kemp is ready for his rehab assignment, which would put him on a timeline to return to the Dodgers sometime next week.
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