Matt Kemp Suffers Setback in Hamstring Recovery, Return Uncertain

Matt Kemp has suffered a setback in his return from a strained hamstring, putting his return to the Dodger lineup in question. (Image Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

After spending the past ten days recovering and rehabbing at the team’s Spring Training facilities in Arizona, Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp was optimistic that he might be able to return from the disabled list later this week as originally expected. Kemp joined his teammates on Sunday at Dodger Stadium for a workout prior to the team’s game against the Atlanta Braves and was expected to be evaluated by team doctors afterwards. However, while going through some drills he suffered a setback and his return to the Dodger lineup remains in question.

According to Arash Markazi at ESPNLA.com, Don Mattingly doesn’t sound overly sure when the team can expect him back:

"At this point I think we’ve hit a little bit of a snag because he felt a little something today still. The reason he came back was to let Doc check him out, get him on the field, and try to extend him as far as he could and see where he’s at. He’s not quite there. Does that mean it’s two days, three days, or seven days? I don’t know that answer, but we do know that he’s not 100 percent. When we get that then we’ll think about him going out and playing."

Kemp was hitting .251/.305/.335 with just a pair of home runs in 210 PA on the year before landing on the disabled list on May 30. He’s been an All Star in each of the past two seasons.