Stephen Fife injury: Dodgers P felt shoulder soreness after Baltimore start

The decision to put Stephen Fife on the disabled list with right shoulder bursitis was ultimately made on Friday, though it has been developing for about a week. Fife first felt soreness in his right shoulder after his Sunday start in Baltimore.

When Fife felt soreness again on Monday morning, the Dodgers planned to cut short Matt Magill's start that night for Triple-A Albuquerque, keeping him ready for a possible call up just in case.

"It came up after the last start. The morning of the off day he woke up sore," manager Don Mattingly said of Fife. "The next day he was better. He threw in New York but it was easy toss, and that was okay. But once yesterday came he wasn't able to really throw. They felt like it was better, but it wasn't going to be enough to make him start."

The decision to promote Magill was made on Friday.

Fife said he has had his shoulder on ice every day this week, and has been shut down for three or four days from throwing. But he feels the injury won't keep him out much longer than his 15 days on the disabled list, retroactive to Apr. 22. At the very least, the treatment figures to be improved for Fife, over the last time he experienced shoulder problems.

"I had the same injury in 2009 in the Red Sox system," Fife said. "They told me to take ibuprofen."

As for Fife's replacement, Magill, his stay with the Dodgers could be a short one. Mattingly would not commit to Magill in the rotation beyond Saturday. The Dodgers can skip this spot in the rotation with Thursday's off day, and Chris Capuano is expected to return from the disabled list for the series against the Diamondbacks on either May 6 or 7.

"I don't want to say what his next one is. He's getting this one," Mattingly said before the game. "He's starting tonight if he doesn't get hurt between now and then."

Though Mattingly was being facetious, Magill did in fact avoid injury and made his major league debut on Saturday.