Andre Ethier headed for MRI on back

GOODYEAR — Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier went for an MRI exam on his lower back on Monday, one day after he was scratched from the starting lineup.

The results are expected at some point Monday afternoon or evening.

Ethier left a game on March 6 with tightness in his lower back, then was held out of games as a precaution until Friday night, when he was 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter. He started Saturday and went 2-for-2 with a double, and played three innings in left field.

He was going to be the left fielder on Sunday, but was a late scratch from the lineup.

Ethier said he felt fine during and after games on both Friday and Saturday, then felt fine on Sunday morning before feeling something in his back while loosening up.

"We've taken steps to see if there is anything else we can do that can give me relief for days at a time, not just one or two days,” Ethier said.

He said the discomfort isn’t constant, but rather intermittent something he might feel in his back while running, or even sitting in his car.

All along, both Ethier and manager Dave Roberts have downplayed the injury, saying that if this were the regular season Ethier would likely play, a tradition that continued on Monday, with Ethier terming the MRI precautionary.

"We're just trying to get our hands around it,” Ethier said. “If this were the regular season, I'd go through it every day. It takes a little bit of time to warm up.”