Matt Kemp Hits Los Angeles Dodgers 15-Day DL

Matt Kemp has been placed on the Los Angeles Dodgers 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring.  Kemp aggravated the injury during Sunday’s contest against the Colorado Rockies, and an MRI Monday confirmed the strain.  The Dodgers have recalled Jerry Sands to take Kemp’s spot on their roster.  Tony Gwynn Jr. is expected to take over as the Dodgers primary center fielder in Kemps absence.

Following yesterday’s MRI, the Dodgers had Kemp listed as day-to-day with the strained hamstring.  From the onset of the injury, Kemp insisted that he wouldn’t require a trip to the DL.  Prior to his hamstring strain, Kemp had played in 399 consecutive games, the most of any active player.

However, the Dodgers said that before Monday night’s game it was decided that Kemp would spend at least two weeks on the shelf.  The Dodgers don’t expect the injury to take longer than the 15 days to heal, but they want to make sure Kemp doesn’t further injure himself and require an extended stint on the DL.

Matt Kemp might be the hardest player to replace in baseball, so the Dodgers are lucky they only have to do so for two weeks.  Following last night’s slate of games, Kemp was fifth in the majors in batting average (.359), sixth in on base percentage (.446), second in slugging percentage (.726), tied for third in home runs (12) and tied for sixth in RBIs (28).

Jerry Sands will take Kemp’s spot on the Dodgers roster.  Sands, 24, boasts a career minor league OPS of .940.  The slugger made his debut with the Dodgers last season, posting a line of .253/.338/.389 over his 198 at-bats.  Though Sands is expected to see much of his time in left field, he also has the ability to man first base for the Dodgers.

Tony Gwynn Jr. is expected to be Kemp’s primary replacement in center field, though Dodgers manager Don Mattingly did say that LA’s everyday right fielder, Andre Ethier, could also see time in center.

For more on the Dodgers be sure to check out Lasorda’s Lair.

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