LOS ANGELES — Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier is rehabbing his injured left ankle at the club’s Spring Training facility at Camelback Ranch-Glendale and will work out in Arizona through Monday, according to manager Don Mattingly.
Ethier had 15 at-bats in a simulated game on Friday and ran on an anti-gravity treadmill, Mattingly said.
“We’re basically trying to get him as many at-bats as we can so he can get the timing part without the running part,” Mattingly said before Friday night’s game against the Rockies. “That’s really the main reason for going there, to be able to get 10-15 at-bats a day.”
Ethier’s availability for the National League Division Series, which begins on Thursday, remains in doubt. Mattingly said Ethier will return to Los Angeles Monday night and join the club for Tuesday’s workout at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers are calling the injury a left ankle sprain. Ethier said the discomfort he has is believed to stem from the periosteum, the sheath that covers the bones of the leg, with pain similar to shin splints.
Ethier initially injured his left ankle on a swing in Colorado on Sept. 4 and aggravated it on a double against the Giants on Sept. 13, the last time he started. After more than a week of treatment, he encountered increased pain trying to round the bases in a workout on Tuesday in San Francisco, leading to an MRI exam and CT scan on Wednesday in Los Angeles, which showed his lower left leg had improved but not completely healed. Drs. Neal ElAttrache and Phillip Kwong, a foot and ankle specialist, cleared Ethier to return to games when he is able to run the bases without pain.
“The thing that’s hurt him is the turns, so they really don’t want to do any turns until they have to,” Mattingly said. “Just trying to allow maximum time for this thing to let it keep healing. I don’t think anybody is afraid of letting him have at-bats.”
Punto sits with in-grown toenail
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers shortstop Nick Punto was scratched from Friday night’s starting lineup against the Rockies because of an in-grown toenail on his right foot. Dee Gordon replaced Punto in the field and hit eighth against Colorado right-hander Juan Nicasio.
In other injury news, utility man Jerry Hairston reported improvement in his stiff lower back, which prevented him from pregame workouts Thursday night in San Francisco.
Hairston said he would probably stay off the field and receive treatment over the weekend in hopes of being fully healthy by the time the National League Division Series begins on Thursday. Hairston is on the bubble to make the postseason roster due to the acquisition of Michael Young.
Lee, Schebler take home Minor League hardware
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers named starting pitcher Zach Lee and outfielder Scott Schebler as the Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year and Player of the Year on Friday.
Lee, ranked by MLB.com as the Dodgers’ No. 3 prospect, won 10 games and posted a 3.22 ERA in 28 appearances this season for Double-A Chattanooga. The right-hander was a Southern League midseason All-Star and was third in the league with 131 strikeouts and a 1.17 WHIP. A first-round pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, Lee issued just 35 walks in 142 2/3 innings.
Schebler, ranked 16th among Dodgers prospects, led Class A Rancho Cucamonga with a .296 batting average and was second in the California League with 27 home runs. The outfielder also had 13 triples, 91 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, a .581 slugging percentage and scored 95 runs in 125 games this season. Schebler, a left-handed hitter, was the only Dodgers Minor Leaguer with at least 20 doubles, 10 triples and 20 homers this year. He was named to the California League’s postseason All-Star team.
Both Lee and Schebler will be honored in an on-field ceremony before Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Rockies.
Worth noting
• Chris Capuano was available out of the bullpen Friday after dealing with a strained left groin for three weeks, manager Don Mattingly said.
“We’re not going to do anything special to force him into a game or anything like that,” Mattingly said. “If the situation calls for it, we’ll use him.”
• Hanley Ramirez was not in Friday night’s starting lineup, but Mattingly said he expects the shortstop to start on Saturday.
Austin Laymance is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.