Having previously all but ruled out Cody Bellinger fo the weekend series with the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed Friday afternoon the former MVP sustained a hairline fracture when he was spiked in the left calf on April 5.
“He kind of hit a plateau as far as getting better each day, so we had a scan,” Roberts said. “It showed a little hairline fracture. It hasn’t really changed the course of timetable, so right now it’s more of getting that thing healed up. When he’s ready to go he’ll be back with us.”
Roberts wasn’t completely certain of where the fracture is, but believed it to be in the left fibula. Bellinger initially underwent multiple tests in the days after being stepped on, and those at the time ruled out any sort of structural damage.
The Dodgers placed Bellinger on the 10-day injured list with a left calf contusion on the day of their home opener, but it was retroactive to April 6. That made Friday the first day he was eligible to be activated.
When Roberts addressed Bellinger’s level of activity on Thursday, he said it included running in the pool. Even with the team discovering Bellinger has suffered a fracture, he is expected to continue with swinging the bat and other workouts amid an uncertain timetable for return.
“He’s just rehabbing daily and doing everything he can to rejoin us as soon as possible,” Roberts added. “At least we know what Cody is dealing with. Certain players heal differently, so I just don’t know where Cody is going to be at. I can say comfortably it’s not a day-to-day thing.
“We can kind of put it on the back-burner and just let Cody do his rehab. … I just know all the stuff that we’ve done to kind of stabilize his body, keep his arm in shape, moving around, all that stuff is in line with the new information that we learned with the hairline fracture (on Thursday).
“The course of treatment, the process to get him back on the field, hasn’t changed.”
During an appearance on MLB Network’s “High Heat,” Roberts told Alanna Rizzo he believed Bellinger would be sidelined for another one to two weeks.
Lux, Pollock avoid IL
The Dodgers incurred minor injuries with Gavin Lux (right wrist soreness) and AJ Pollock (left groin tightness) on Thursday, but both are available for the series opener against the Padres.
Lux is limited to a potential pinch-run appearance or playing defense, while Pollock could be called upon to pinch-hit.
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