Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford is improving, could DH tomorrow. Update.

Carl CrawfordDodgers outfielder Carl Crawford will DH in a minor-league game again today. He did the same yesterday and his seven plate appearances “went good,” in Crawford’s words. (Major-league players on rehab assignments are allowed to bat once an inning, in different spots in the order, in minor league games.)

“My timing’s getting better,” Crawford said. “I took a a few good swings. I’m starting to track (the ball) a little bit.”

If he had to hit in a major-league game tomorrow? “I think I’d be OK,” Crawford said.

Update (9:30 a.m.): Crawford may get to find out. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said that he may use tomorrow’s home game against the Milwaukee Brewers to get Crawford his first at-bats of the spring. The Dodgers also have a split-squad road game scheduled for 1 p.m. against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

If Crawford doesn’t play tomorrow, he could DH in Monday’s home game against the Diamondbacks. Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson has already disallowed use of the DH in a game once this spring, but use of the DH in spring games is determined by the home manager, regardless of whether the game is in an American or National League park.

“Even though I want the pitchers to hit, Carl takes precedence,” Mattingly said.

For the third straight day, Crawford will test his throwing from approximately 90 feet, the same distance he was throwing from when team trainers temporarily shut down his rehab program two weeks ago.

Crawford underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow last August and remains questionable to play Opening Day. He hasn’t appeared in a game since August 19, 2012.

Matt Palmer has surgery; expected to miss 6-8 weeks.

Matt Palmer underwent a left knee arthroscopy today to debride a medial meniscal tear. Surgery was done by Dr. Brian Schafer in Phoenix. Rehab begins tomorrow, expected 6-8 weeks.

Palmer was re-assigned to the Dodgers’ minor-league camp and will begin his rehab there.

The veteran pitcher injured his knee walking on Saturday.

The Dodgers’ Carl Crawford is a hitting machine.

Carl Crawford

Carl Crawford took his first swings against live pitching on Feb. 25, but was shut down four days later.

Carl Crawford was scheduled to face three live major-league pitchers Tuesday, teammates J.P. Howell, Kenley Jansen and Brandon League. He saw about 20 pitches each from Howell and Jansen, pouncing off one Jansen pitch that bounced off the left-field fence. Then Crawford walked off the field along with coaches and a trainer; League had to face a pair of Dodgers minor-league hitters instead.

Was Crawford hurt?

Fatigued?

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Zack Greinke returns to Dodgers, but when will he pitch?

Zack Greinke

Zack Greinke returned to the Dodgers one day after he received a PRP injection in his ailing right elbow.

The right-hander had very little to say and was hesitant to offer rudimentary details about his condition, which the team announced Monday as inflammation in the back of his right elbow.

“I didn’t really know exactly what the problem is,” Greinke said before meeting with trainers. “I still don’t. They might. I’m just kind of going on what they’re saying to me.”

Asked if he could make his first scheduled start of the season April 2, he said “I don’t know that either.”

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Dodgers demote Matt Palmer, Steven Ames, Matt Magill.

Matt Palmer

Matt Palmer will have surgery tomorrow in Arizona to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. The team originally announced that he would miss six to eight weeks, but Palmer gave a more optimistic, more detailed timetable Monday.

“They say I can throw in two weeks, throw off a mound in three-and-a-half to four,” he said. “I could be back (in a game) by six weeks.”

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Zack Greinke (elbow) out; Hyun-Jin Ryu will start for Dodgers against Brewers.

Zack Greinke

Zack Greinke will fly to Los Angeles today to have his right elbow examined by team Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

The team said that Greinke experienced “mild irritation” in the back of his elbow while throwing on Sunday and “does not feel 100 percent comfortable” in the elbow. He threw a full bullpen without pain Friday.

Hyun-Jin Ryu, who was scheduled to relieve Greinke against the Milwaukee Brewers, will start instead. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

Update: Don Mattingly said that an MRI on Greinke’s elbow came back clean and the pitcher said he could make his scheduled start if he wanted to. “If something serious was going on,” Mattingly said, “it’d be a shocker.”

Update 2 (2:38 p.m.): Dr. ElAttrache confirmed the diagnosis of inflammation in the back of the right elbow. Greinke received an injection of platelet-rich plasma and anti-inflammatory medication. He will rest for 2 to 3 days and then return to a progressive throwing program.

Dodgers will start Stephen Fife in place of Zack Greinke against Mexico.

The Dodgers scratched Zack Greinke from his scheduled start against Team Mexico on Wednesday with a cold. Stephen Fife, who was originally scheduled to throw in relief in Goodyear against the Cleveland Indians, will instead start the exhibition game at Camelback Ranch in Glendale.

Manager Don Mattingly said in his pregame discussion that he was hoping Greinke’s illness was only a cold, but a flu has been going around the room. Pitcher Ted Lilly just returned after missing two days with a flu. Pitcher Paco Rodriguez caught it and didn’t report today. Zack Greinke reported but was apparently deemed not healthy enough to start.

 

Dodgers’ Carl Crawford will resume hitting, and maybe throwing, tomorrow.

Carl Crawford

Carl Crawford took his first swings against live pitching on Feb. 25, but was shut down four days later. (Subpar Instagram photo by J.P. Hoornstra)

Dodgers left fielder Carl Crawford, whose hitting and throwing programs were postponed last Friday, will resume baseball activities tomorrow, manager Don Mattingly said.

Technically that’s one day ahead of schedule. Five days ago Mattingly said that Crawford would be shut down for a week because of nerve irritation in his left arm.

But Crawford has been symptom-free for three days and got the green light to hit off a tee tomorrow.

“He’ll be monitored, though,” Mattingly said. “He’ll be more on a rehab program … the number of swings taken, exactly what he can do. It’ll start there, in the cage. It’ll be controlled.”

If that goes well, Mattingly said that Crawford will be allowed to throw. He had been throwing from up to 90 feet at the time of the setback. Crawford had Tommy John surgery on his left (throwing) elbow last August and has a target of playing by Opening Day, April 1.

“He’s been able to do everything — track balls, stay in shape, running, all the baserunning stuff — everything basically but throw and hit,” Mattingly said. “That’s obviously pretty important stuff, but there are other areas that he’s able to continue to work.”

Dodgers pitcher Shawn Tolleson feels fine, won’t miss time with knee injury.

Shawn Tolleson‘s injury Tuesday appeared to be scarier than it was.Shawn  Tolleson

The right-hander, who left the Dodgers’ game against the San Diego Padres after hearing a “pop” in his left knee, said Wednesday that “everything checked out good” in tests.

“It kind of spooked me,” Tolleson said. “I didn’t want to test it or throw another pitch or anything. … Today there’s no swelling, no soreness.”

Tolleson said he felt the pop as he was releasing the ball and extending as he released the pitch to the Padres’ Gregorio Petit. He iced the knee overnight and was walking normally today.

“Today I’m just going to kind of take it easy, play catch, not do a lot else,” he said. “Tomorrow I should be good to go.”