Los Angeles Dodgers star center fielder Matt Kemp will likely remain on the disable list until September with a sprained left ankle, according to the Dodgers' website.
This means he could be back with the rest of the Dodgers outfield—Carl Crawford, Yasiel Puig and Andre Ethier—while the Dodgers are in a late season pennant race.
"By the time we have the four all ready to play, we'll be a few weeks from the end [of the season]," said general manager Ned Colletti.
Kemp hurt the ankle while sliding to the plate during the Dodgers’ July 21 game against the Washington Nationals. He would be eligible to return from the DL on Aug 6. However, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said that will not happen.
"We were hoping this was going to be a simple ankle sprain, but it's a lot more serious than that," Mattingly explained. "He's been able to do some things, but is having soreness with that. We're still not where we need to be.”
This season has been an injury-plagued one for Kemp who been placed on the disabled list three times and only played 62 games. In those 62 games Kemp hit .263 with five homers, 27 RBIs and a .319 on-base percentage.
When healthy, Kemp is capable of putting up MVP numbers. He has faced injury the past two seasons, playing only 106 games in 2012. Kemp’s last healthy year was in 2011 when he had a .324 batting average with 39 homers, 126 RBIs and a .399 on-base percentage. He also had 40 steals. He only missed one game that season.
Kemps absence combined with his potential for offense prove how valuable rookie Yasiel Puig (.364, 10 HR, 23 RBI and .408 OBP) has been to the lineup since coming up on June 3. He has cooled off from his hot start. However, he was important in providing a spark the Dodgers needed.
The Dodgers are 11-1 since the All-Star break and sitting in first place in the National League West. Although Puig has been the spark, Hanley Ramirez has been the backbone for the Dodger’s offense since returning to the lineup from injury in early June. Since June 4 he is hitting .376 with 11 homeruns, 35 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .426.
Kemp was also recently in the news for his comments about Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun’s suspension. (Braun was suspended for the rest of the season due to his connection with the Biogenesis scandal.) Kemp said Braun should lose the 2011 National League MVP if he used P.E.D.’s. Kemp finished runner-up that year. In the 2011 regular season Braun had a batting average of .332 with 33 homers, 111 RBIs, an on-base percentage of .397 and 30 steals.
