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Dodgers Spring Training News & Notes: Joe Kelly To Throw Bullpen Session, Russell Martin May Return To Lineup Sunday

Matthew Moreno
2 Min Read
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Although Clayton Kershaw has reported steady progress with improvement in his throwing shoulder after being temporarily shut down due to inflammation, Joe Kelly and Russell Martin have each dealt with minor back injuries of late.

Martin was held out of workouts and Cactus League games as a precaution, and he was expected to return to the lineup at the beginning of the week. However, that was pushed back to the weekend.

Due to participate in workouts on Friday, Martin may not return to game action until a couple days later, according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times:

Meanwhile, Kelly was scratched from a scheduled relief appearance because of back tightness, and he is not among the relievers listed to appear in Friday’s game but should throw a bullpen session, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:

For both players, their back trouble is not considered serious. And though there is less than three weeks until Opening Day, it certainly makes perfect sense for the Dodgers to err on the side of caution.

Martin is 2-for-8 with three RBI in three Cactus League games thus far, while Kelly issued two walks, two hits and one run over one inning in his Dodgers debut, then improved on that March 3, with just one hit allowed in a scoreless frame against the Texas Rangers.

Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com