Andre Ethier blew past his 10-to-14 week timetable last week with nary a sound out of Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers were on the road in Pittsburgh and Milwaukee, but in general there has been little to report since Ethier broke a bone in his right leg in a Spring Training at bat on March 18.
But now the team's longest-tenured player (since 2006) is stepping up his rehab in Los Angeles, under the careful supervision of the major league training staff.
It's still mostly all quiet on the western front, but Houston Mitchell included a link to a Dodgers.com post in his Los Angeles Times column this morning that was sure to bring a smile to the Dodger faithful. Here's the key passage:
"Ethier has progressed to limited baseball activities as he recovers from a broken right tibia sustained in Spring Training. He's scheduled for another leg scan sometime in the next week."
Excellent stuff. Why it's buried in a short piece on the club website and not screamed from the hilltop above the Los Angeles Police Academy beyond center field, I have no idea, but this is great news.
And while there are still no guarantees about a date-certain, or about a return to 2015 form, Ethier's comeback should put the rumors about Jay Bruce to bed for good. As I said earlier, I'm not sold on Bruce as a Los Angeles acquisition, given his performance away from Cincinnati (.245/.312/.439 lifetime) and at Dodger Stadium (.162/.162/.324 from 2012-2015, 2-9 in 2016 and .171 lifetime). I'm a believer in one Andre Ethier.
I imagine some fans would take exception with MLB.com's Jack Baer's comment that Ethier will have to fight for starts with Trayce Thompson and Howie Kendrick, and I certainly do.
If Ethier is healthy and hitting -- and the Dodgers will get an idea of both from his minor league rehab -- he'll play left field versus most, if not all, right-handed starters, which is a good 2/3 of the competition. There might be some easing back into action, but he's not coming back a minute before it's medically appropriate to do so. When he's ready, he'll get the nod.
Ethier's production in left has been sorely missed since Opening Day, when the since jettisoned Carl Crawford was the intended option vs. RHP. I, for one, cannot wait to see number 16 back in Blue. Let's count on August 1. If he beats it by a few days, or is a week behind, that's fine too. This is extremely good news.
And remember, glove conquers all.
