Matt Kemp may be out longer than originally expected. His sprained ankle has healed slower than anticipated and he may be looking at a return date in September, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
Matt Kemp injury: Dodgers CF could be out until September
Kemp’s ankle sprain has been slow healing and will likely keep him out longer than originally anticipated.
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Kemp suffered the injury sliding into home plate in the ninth inning of the Dodgers' 9-2 victory against the Nationals on July 21. The swelling around the injury is still quite noticeable and Kemp has yet to begin running again.
The Dodgers do not yet have an official timetable for Kemp’s return. Manager Don Mattingly told MLB.com that the injury was more severe than the team originally thought.
“We were hoping this was going to be a simple ankle sprain, but it’s a lot more serious than that,” Mattingly said. “He’s been able to do some things, but is having soreness with that. We’re still not where we need to be.”
The game against the Nationals was Kemp’s first back in the Dodgers’ lineup after missing two weeks due to pain in the AC joint of his left shoulder. He also spent time on the disabled list earlier in the season with a right hamstring strain. All told, Kemp has played in just 62 games this year, hitting .263/.319/.382 with five homers.
The Dodgers will continue to roll out an outfield of Yasiel Puig, Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford until Kemp's eventual return.
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