The Los Angeles Dodgers played essentially the entire 2016 season without Andre Ethier, and they may not see the veteran outfielder on the roster for quite some time this year. Ethier was bothered by hip and back trouble during the spring, which led to an MRI that revealed a herniated disc.
After a follow-up CT scan and x-rays, the Dodgers shut Ethier down until at least the first week of April. He was one of six Dodgers to begin the season on the disabled list. “The last update I received when I talked to him [Tuesday], he said he had normal soreness,” manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday.
“He was doing some running, but nothing baseball-specific. He felt a little sore, so [Wednesday], if it feels good, he was going to do some more running.”
Roberts added Ethier is also completing plyometric exercises, but the club does not have a timeline for his return. They won’t be able to put one in place until Ethier is able to advance past simply running.
At minimum, however, the soon-to-be-35-year-old isn’t nearing a point where he would come off the disabled list. “There was a path to potentially be down four to five weeks, or to try and take a little more of an aggressive approach,” Roberts explained.
“You know there’s going to be some soreness, so you try to balance that out. That’s the way Andre wanted to go about it. I think each day as he tries to get closer and does more, he’ll let us know how aggressive to be.”
Once cleared to resume baseball activities, Ethier will advance to a rehab assignment. He is currently with the team in Los Angeles. Ethier was 6-for-12 with one double, one home run, six walks and two RBI in eight Cactus League games.
