A sprained left ankle has landed Carl Crawford on the 15-day disabled list.
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The ankle buckled as he chased a ball hit down the left field line in Tuesday's game against the Reds.
Crawford said afterward it's an injury that will just need time to heal and infielder Jamie Romak was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque to take his place on the roster.
With his play in recent weeks, Crawford was making a push to take over the still-up-for-grabs starting left field spot. In 22 games in May, he's hitting .333 with four home runs 14 RBIs and five stolen bases. With Yasiel Puig in right and Andre Ethier in center, Crawford's biggest contribution is solidifying the defense in left field which the Dodgers sorely needed. The team ranks second in the NL with 42 errors.
In a surprising move after Crawford got hurt Tuesday, manager Don Mattingly sent Scott Van Slyke into the game to replace Crawford and not the $20 million man Matt Kemp, although Kemp did pinch-hit.
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Kemp is working to make a transition to left field from center. He got the start there Wednesday and Kemp will likely get a lot of in-game reps with Crawford on the DL.
Mattingly said earlier in the season that the crowded outfield situation will somehow work itself out and, unfortunately for Crawford, an injury may lead to it happening.
