Never a stranger to injuries over the past two seasons, Hanley Ramirez was scratched from Saturday's lineup with a sore left calf.
Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times provided the news:
The Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett provided a look at the new lineup, with 24-year-old Erisbel Arruebarrena taking Ramirez's spot at short:
Ramirez, who injured his thumb in late April, has gotten off to a rough start in 2014, hitting just .250/.333/.451 with seven home runs. Those are certainly not numbers to scoff at, especially for a shortstop, but they are a far cry from 2013, when Ramirez hit .345/.402/.638 and was one of the most feared hitters in the league when healthy.
It doesn't sound at this point that the injury is serious. However, it's worth noting that Ramirez also sat out Friday's game (before pinch hitting in the eighth). Manager Don Mattingly said it was just a routine day off, but, as Rotoworld's Matthew Pouliot argued, that may not have been 100 percent true:
Nevertheless, perhaps this will provide an excuse for the Dodgers to give their star some time off so he can get fully healthy as he attempts to prove he is worth a nine-figure extension.
Arruebarrena and perhaps Justin Turner will get time at short while Ramirez is sidelined, but the Dodgers, who rank sixth in the MLB in OPS, should be able to tread water until the 30-year-old's return.
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