Trayce Thompson sidelined with lower back soreness

The Dodgers had a noticeable absence in their lineup on Friday, with outfielder Trayce Thompson sitting out against the Diamondbacks while dealing with soreness in his back. He is expected to miss a couple games this weekend.

"There's a little bit of a nagging something going on," manager Dave Roberts told reporters, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. "With four days off, we'll give him a couple more days after that and see where he's at. But I don't want to put him in harm's way. Just want to get it right."

The injury reportedly surfaced on Sunday against San Diego, and progressed over the All-Star break.

Thompson has nagging side issue from a Sunday swing.

— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) July 15, 2016

Trayce Thompson has an issue with his side, which is why he's not starting.

— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) July 15, 2016

Low back irritation will sideline Trayce Thompson for at least 2 days. Roberts didn't rule out a DL stint.

— Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) July 16, 2016

Thompson originally felt the pain on Sunday, on the swing in his side area, but it is low back irritation. #Dodgers

— Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) July 16, 2016

Friday marked the first time this season, in 21 games, that Thompson did not start against a left-handed pitcher. Thompson has also been slumping for a month, 14-for-95 since June 12, hitting .147/.214/.274 in 103 plate appearances during that span.

Should Thompson not progress this weekend, they can backdate any disabled list stint to Monday, July 11, with his earliest return date July 26. With the break plus two scheduled off days in that span, a best-case DL scenario would have Thompson missing only nine games.

Up next

Brandon McCarthy gets the call for the Dodgers on Saturday in the middle game of the series, a 5:10 p.m. PT start. Arizona will send right-hander Archie Bradley to the mound.