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Dodgers’ Dave Roberts: Don’t ‘box in’ Cody Bellinger for return on Tuesday

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PHOENIX — Cody Bellinger is eligible to return from his latest injury on Tuesday. But he might not.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Bellinger has made progress in his recovery from a non-displaced rib fracture on his left side. But it might not be enough for him to be ready to come off the injured list on Tuesday when he is eligible.

“It’s progressing, probably not at the pace we would all like,” Roberts said. “Progress is a good thing. But I just don’t want to box him in to playing on Tuesday.

“When it happens, it happens. It’s just kind of a day-to-day thing.”

Bellinger played three games after suffering the injury when he collided with Gavin Lux on a play in the outfield during the Dodgers’ game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 13. After first saying he could play through the injury depending on his pain tolerance, the Dodgers placed Bellinger on the IL Tuesday (retroactive to his last appearance in a game).

Earlier this week, Roberts raised the possibility that Bellinger could start taking at-bats at Camelback Ranch during the Dodgers’ series in Arizona this weekend. But Friday, he said the expectation is that the struggling 2019 NL MVP will take batting practice with the team at Chase Field before Saturday’s game.

TAYLOR TIME

Chris Taylor was not in the starting lineup for the ninth time in the past 11 games. But Roberts said Taylor had improved enough to be available “in any capacity” off the bench Friday and would start in center field on Saturday.

“If we have to amend that plan, we can do so,” Roberts said.

COSTUME PARTY

The Dodgers have replaced the old “rookie hazing” road trip with a costume trip with everyone in the traveling party participating in recent years. The flight from Denver to Phoenix on Thursday night was this year’s opportunity to dress up.

Some of the highlights included a “Sons of Anarchy” tribute from the starting rotation (Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Max Scherzer and Julio Urias), Captain America (closer Kenley Jansen), the Grinch (Joe Kelly) and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air (Will Smith, of course). Roberts dressed in a retro Earl Campbell Houston Oilers jersey and football uniform.

“I chose Earl Campbell because he was my father’s favorite player as a Houstonian growing up,” Roberts said of his father, Waymon, who passed away in March 2017. “I bought that jersey when he was alive so I wanted to wear that. I got some football pants from the Broncos, the high socks.

“Just a little shout out to my father.”

RIOS RECOVERY

Edwin Rios joined the Dodgers on the field for their pre-game workout Friday at Chase Field.

He underwent season-ending surgery in May to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder and has been rehabbing at CBR for most of the summer. Rios has not been cleared to start a throwing program or swing a bat. He said he expects to start throwing in October and progress to hitting early enough in the fall to have a fairly normal offseason before reporting for spring training at full strength.

The 27-year-old Rios struggled mightily this season before undergoing surgery. He was 4 for 51 (.078) with only one extra-base hit (a home run). Over parts of 2019 and 2020, however, he hit .260 with a .972 OPS and 12 home runs in just 123 at-bats.

UP NEXT

Dodgers (LHP Clayton Kershaw, 10-7, 3.27 ERA) at Diamondbacks (RHP Zac Gallen, 2-10, 4.53 ERA), Saturday, 5:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM