The Los Angeles Dodgers will be without shortstop Hanley Ramirez when they take the field against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.
Dealing with a sore calf, Ramirez was a late scratch from the lineup.
Hanley Ramirez removed from line-up with sore left calf.
— AlaNNa Rizzo (@alannarizzo) May 24, 2014
The injury sounds minor, though the Dodgers will surely do their due-diligence to ensure that is the case.
Ramirez has built up a history of missing time with injuries in the last couple seasons with the Dodgers. At some points that has been the only thing keeping the shortstop from putting up MVP-level campaigns for a team that is heavily favored in the National League.
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Ramirez is batting .250/.333/.451 through 48 games. There has been speculation, however, that lingering injuries have contributed to Ramirez’s subpar production. That question prompted Steve Dilbeck of the LA Times to wonder if the Dodgers might benefit from shutting Ramirez down completely to get him healthy instead of having him continue to play through the pain.
This the second day off in a row for Ramirez, so it’s possible that he aggravated the injury or that the Dodgers are looking at an extended stint on the shelf.
So, I guess Mattingly was just kidding about last night being a routine day off for Hanley.
— Matthew Pouliot (@matthewpouliot) May 24, 2014
If the Dodgers go that route they will likely act quickly. We will know a lot when we see if Ramirez is in the lineup Sunday or not.