But in a change of plans, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said that Ramirez will start at shortstop tomorrow barring any setbacks in the next 24 hours.
Ramirez has looked game-ready in batting practice each of the last three days, driving the ball with ease to all fields and, at times, over the fence. Although he has taken ground balls at shortstop, he’s been cautious about throwing the ball to first base at game speed.
Ramirez’s fielding seems to be about the only reservation with letting him play, in fact. Monday night, he said he was throwing the ball better than he had Sunday. Mattingly said that Dodgers medical director Stan Conte “basically said he could play today.”
Instead, he’ll start Wednesday’s series finale against the Mets and take advantage of the off-day in the schedule Thursday.
“Stan was more, ‘play one day, one day off, then we can evaluate.’ ”
Matt Kemp, meanwhile, “just keeps progressing” in his recovery from an ankle sprain, according to Mattingly.
“He hit again today and did more and more running,” the manager said.
Kemp still hasn’t run the bases — his next hurdle to clear — and has only run straight-line routes to this point.