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PHOENIX — Dodgers relief pitcher Pedro Baez will finally see time on a mound on Sunday, for the first time in 3½ weeks.
Baez took a comebacker on his right hand while throwing live batting practice on Feb. 22, and has been limited ever since, battling a contusion. He resumed a throwing program earlier in the week.
With just over two weeks until opening day, it is unknown whether there is time for Baez to be ready to start the regular season. Despite throwing two bullpen sessions in the first week of camp, his time off has essentially left him back at square one.
"He'll progress like anybody else after their first pen going forward,” bench coach and acting manager Bob Geren said Saturday. “You'd have to see how the timeline will go. But when you do have one-inning relievers, they're the quickest to come.”
Baez is expected to throw 15-20 pitches on Sunday.
With the new collective bargaining agreement, a 10-day disabled list can be backdated up to three days prior to the start of the regular season, meaning a player on the DL could miss as little as a week.
Notes
Andre Ethier starts in left field for the Dodgers on Saturday against the White Sox, and is expected to play 3-5 innings, per Geren. Ethier, who got one at-bat on Friday night after missing 10 days with back and hip tightness, might start again on Sunday as the designated hitter in the Dodgers’ exhibition against Japan.
Corey Seager participated in full team workouts on Saturday, his most activity since tweaking his side on March 3. But when he will see game action is still unknown.
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— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 18, 2017
“I don't think there is an exact timeline to get in a game at this point,” Geren said. “He'll do full activities today and progress in a normal fashion from there. It's good news that he's feeling good and going through a full workout.”
Kenta Maeda is expected to pitch five innings or roughly 75 pitches on Saturday against the White Sox. Other Dodgers pitchers slated to pitch in today’s game include Patrick Schuster, Adam Liberatore, Josh Fields, Chris Hatcher, and Madison Younginer.