The Dodgers lasted almost an entire month without sending a player to the Disabled List, but on Monday they placed Matt Kemp and Stephen Fife on the oft-used DL. It is the second DL stint for each player this season, and totals the Dodgers 22nd use of the DL this season.
Kemp was on the DL for a hamstring for most of June, but has not been himself most of the season after recovering from shoulder surgery. On Friday in San Francisco, Kemp was removed from the game after irritating his shoulder during a swing.
He was listed as day-to-day and received a shot of cortisone in order to help keep him from the DL, but it did not prove to be enough.
As Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford returned from the time on the DL, a lot of talk was going around what the Dodgers would do with four outfielders in Kemp, Crawford, Ethier and Puig. Looks like that is a question for another time.
If anything, the "problem" of too many outfielders is going to bail the Dodgers out of being short a center fielder. Andre Ethier will probably spend most of the time in center. Scott Van Slyke was recalled from Triple-A in order to fill Kemp's roster spot.
Stephen Fife also returns to the DL with shoulder bursitis, the same injury he suffered in April. He missed 33 games during that stint.
Fife has been doing well in 2013, and was recently rewarded for his success. After the Dodgers traded for Ricky Nolasco it was announced that Chris Capuano would head to the bullpen, and Fife would stay in the starting rotation.
Of course, he will now be on the DL and Capuano moves back from the bullpen into his spot of the rotation. Ricky Nolasco was officially added to the roster as Fife was placed on the DL to round out the 40-man roster.
The Dodgers start a series against the NL-West leading Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday with, assuming no injuries, Zach Greinke, Ricky Nolasco, and Hyun-Jin Ryu on the mound.
