Dodgers’ Andre Ethier begins rehab from fractured right tibia.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier returned to the clubhouse two days after he was diagnosed with a fractured right tibia. Ethier is still walking in crutches and probably will be for six weeks. That’s how long he was told not to put any pressure on his broken leg.

“It never felt right,” he said. “Still isn’t.”

The Dodgers are preparing to be without Ethier for 10 to 14 weeks from the time he fouled a ball off his leg Friday in a Cactus League game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. That projects to a return sometime between late May and late June.

In the meantime Ethier will have the option of doing his rehab in Arizona, where he lives and where the Dodgers hold extended spring training. Manager Dave Roberts said that Ethier will join the team in San Diego on April 4 for Opening Day, then again the following week for the Dodgers’ home opener.

“If he wants to do his rehab here until he starts doing baseball-related activities, there’s really no need for him to be with us,” Roberts said. “I’d rather him be comfortable and keep his mind right on as he’s rehabbing.”

Ethier said his leg will be immobilized in a removable fitted brace, not a cast, and he’ll wear a small bone-stimulating device during the process.

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.