Los Angeles Dodgers plan to activate A.J. Ellis this week

The Los Angeles Dodgers should have their starting catcher back this week. Presumably they have issued new guidelines to the entire team about appropriate post-game celebrations in the meantime.

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A.J. Ellis was placed on the disabled list at the end of last month after he injured his ankle celebrating Josh Beckett‘s no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. The prognosis at the time was pretty dire (out 4-6 weeks), so it has to be a relief that the Dodgers are getting their catcher back this week.

Mark Saxon of ESPN LA reports the following:

"Ellis could be activated from the disabled list as soon as Thursday, according to Dodgers manager Don Mattingly…Ellis tested his ankle by making throws to second base before Monday’s game, while Uribe ran short sprints in the outfield grass."

The Dodgers still have not clicked this season. If they don’t get to it soon, they might find themselves behind the San Francisco Giants by 10 games before they even get to the All-Star Break. The return of Ellis should help in the lineup.

An offensively inclined catcher, Ellis has not gotten things on track yet. Through just 15 games he has batted .170/.350/.213 with no home runs and only a single run driven in. He still should be able to bring some stability to a Dodgers team that can use it after a few weeks of drama and uncertainty.

The Dodgers have a softer schedule in coming weeks, presenting a great chance to potentially gain some ground. It will certainly help them to have Ellis back in the fold, even if it takes him a few games to get his bat back on track.