Cody Bellinger diagnosed with hairline fracture in leg

It looks like it can be some time before we see Cody Bellinger return to the club. While speaking with reporters on Friday afternoon, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shared that Bellinger has a slight hairline fracture in his left fibula.

“It hasn’t changed the course of timetables,” Roberts said. “It’s just more of getting that healed up. When he’s ready to go he’ll be back with us.”

This certainly isn’t great news, as Bellinger has already missed nearly two weeks after being spiked in Oakland. Roberts said that Bellinger is no longer considered to be day-to-day, meaning it looks like it could be potentially multiple weeks until he returns.

“At least we know what he’s dealing with,” Roberts said. “Certain players heal differently. I do know that the training staff and Cody are doing everything they can. We can put it on the back-burner and let Cody do his rehab and have him hopefully return soon.”

Other injury updates

Bellinger isn’t the only one who is dealing with injuries. Yesterday, Gavin Lux was scratched from the lineup prior to the game after discomfort in his wrist. The good news is that his wrist feels significantly better today than yesterday. Roberts said that he’ll be available tonight off the bench to pinch-run or play defense if needed.

In addition, AJ Pollock is dealing with a left groin injury, but it doesn’t appear to be serious. Roberts said they were able to get out in front of it before it could get worse. Pollock is available off the bench if needed.

Finally, it looks like we can be seeing the activation of Brusdar Graterol as soon as this weekend.

“He threw yesterday and felt good today,” Roberts said. “He’ll be traveling tonight or tomorrow to join us in San Diego. We’ll talk about a decision in the next few days.”

A Bellinger replacement?

The other day, the Dodgers officially signed outfielder Steven Souza Jr. to a contract. The 31-year-old outfielder has appeared in only 83 games since the start of the 2018 season because of injuries.

When asked if Souza Jr. could potentially see playing time, Roberts said he was unsure as to what the plan will be with the outfielder.

“I don’t know, I think he’s at the alternate site,” Roberts said. “Hopefully we get him healthy and we’ll see how it plays out. I just don’t know how much he’s played leading up to this situation. I don’t know right now.”