Joc Pederson, CF
Yasiel Puig, RF
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Scott Van Slyke, DH
A.J. Ellis C
Kiké Hernandez, SS
Elian Herrera, 2B
Trayce Thompson, LF
(Clayton Kershaw, P)
Update: Howie Kendrick was scratched shortly before first pitch with left calf tightness and is day to day.
By Jon Weisman
Yasmani Grandal will remain out of the Dodger lineup until at least Sunday, Dave Roberts told reporters today.
An MRI showed no muscle damage in Grandal’s sorearm, tweeted Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A., but the Dodgers are taking a precautionary approach with their starting catcher, who told SportsNet LA’s Alanna Rizzo that if it were up to him, he would play.
Of course, it became apparent toward the end of last season that Grandal is pretty much the Black Knight when it comes to pain tolerance. Today, Bill Plunkett of the Register noted that Grandal caught Kenta Maeda’s bullpen session, though he let another catcher throw the ball back to the mound.
Grandal has played in eight Cactus League games, with his most recent start coming Sunday.
Here are some other pregame notes:
- Andre Ethier won’t be allowed to put any weight on his fractured right leg for six weeks, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
- Corey Seager batted in a minor-league game today, going 0 for 4. He did not play defense in the game.
- In his third inning of a minor-league game today, Cuban pitching prospect Yadier Alvarez was clocked by two scouts at 100 mph, said J.P. Hoornstra of the Daily News.
- National columnist Peter Gammons has an extended piece on the Dodgers at GammonsDaily.
- Fangraphs writer Dave Cameron addresses concerns that the Dodgers aren’t taking Clayton Kershaw’s prime seriously enough.
- On Saturday, the Kings will host Dodgers Pride Night at 7 p.m. at Staples Center. Fans are invited to purchase a ticket package that includes a ticket to the game and a commemorative Dodgers Pride Night long-sleeve shirt that will be redeemed at the game. Visit lakings.com/dodgers for more details.