Zack Greinke, who was out with elbow discomfort and forearm stiffness, received an injection after being examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

The team doctor gave Greinke an injection of platelet-rich plasma and anti-inflammatory medication. The pitcher has been prescribed rest for two to three days and then a return to a progressive throwing program.

ElAttrache’s diagnosis confirmed an MRI taken last week that Greinke had no structural ligament or tendon damage in the elbow, which has bothered him since his last start March 1.

Greinke has told the team he’s dealt with similar elbow issues in the past that never kept him from missing a start.

Greinke was set to rest for a couple of days before beginning a progressive throwing program.

For his part, Greinke chose not to speculate on the exact extent of the injury or self-diagnose:

“I didn’t really know exactly what the problem is, and I still don’t. They might, but I don’t. I’m not a doctor, I’m just kind of going what they are saying to me,” Greinke said. “I don’t have any definitive stuff to tell you guys. I don’t know if it’s the same problem as I’ve had in the past, and I don’t know if it’s a little different.”

On Friday, Greinke played catch, the first time he’s thrown since receiving an injection of plasma in his elbow. Afterwards, He reported no pain.

As it stands, the Dodgers are unsure of whether Greinke will be right by Opening Day and are looking into roster possibilities should he not be ready by then.

“Will Zack be able to make opening day? We don’t know that,” said manager Don Mattingly on Thursday.

Honestly, who cares about Opening Day though? It’s just an arbitrary date.

Obviously the primary goal should be getting him healthy, period, just like Carl Crawford.

—–

Carl Crawford is once again taking batting practice against live pitching.

Carl Crawford took the next step in his rehabilitation on Tuesday, as he faced live pitchers at Camelback Ranch. It was the sixth consecutive day Crawford has taken batting practice of some sort, and his quantity has increased from 50 swings each day to start up to over 120 on Tuesday.

He then hit against live pitching in a game and could be DHing soon in Spring Training.

“Carl was good again today. We’ll see how he does tomorrow. We’re talking about him possibly DH-ing soon. We’ll see how he pops out of these two days. We know he was sore today, body wise. Just regular soreness that you’ll have playing, and in a different gear,” Mattingly said. “We’ll see how he is tomorrow, and make some decisions.”

There is no rush to bring him back, so however long the process needs to take is how long the Dodgers and Carl should be willing to see it through.

—–

Chad Billingsley made a minor-league start on Wednesday even though he’s dealing with some mild groin tightness.

Billingsley had the right leg wrapped for his Sunday bullpen session and manager Don Mattingly said it is nothing major. Billingsley has a history of groin tightness in previous Spring Trainings.

The Dodgers had the day off but Bills carried on with his preparation as he looks towards the beginning of the season.

He ended up clearing the latest test with flying colors, just like all the others.

“Everything felt great with the groin, I had no issues with that. My arm felt great today, everything was good,” Billingsley said. “I had good command of all my pitches.”

It’s hard to not start to get encouraged by this.

—–

Javy Guerra‘s groin issue is more serious than Bills’.

The groin issue that hampered Javy Guerra in his one inning of a Minor League game Sunday, however, will “slow him down a bit, that’s for sure,” Mattingly said. Guerra, in his return from a week off because of World Baseball Classic issues, has downplayed the injury, which he didn’t reveal until after his Sunday outing.

“He’s telling me he feels good,” said Mattingly. “We’re going to be cautious. I don’t think it will be for an extended time, but we’ll be cautious for a day.”

In a crowded bullpen, especially if the team keeps eight starters, it’s not out of the question that he could start on the DL or in AAA.

—–

Shawn Tolleson suffered an injury for the second time this spring after he took a liner off his elbow.

Luckily, it should be fine and he won’t even go in for x-rays.

Tolleson previously dealt with a knee injury a week or so ago.

—–

Ted Lilly missed a bullpen session due to illness, the second instance this spring in which sickness has felled him.

It’s not a big deal, but for a guy who’s coming back from shoulder surgery and needs reps, the sickness throws him off schedule and puts him behind.

—–

Matt Palmer went under the knife for arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and is out for roughly six to eight weeks.

The surgery to clean up a medial meniscus was performed by Dr. Brian Shafer. Palmer’s knee locked up while walking after playing catch on Saturday.

Palmer had a 3.60 ERA in three spring appearances, having allowed nine runs (seven unearned) in five innings, his outings marred by several errant pickoff throws. He allowed nine hits.

The non-roster invitee had no shot of making the team, but it’s unfortunate that he suffered a non-contact injury and couldn’t at least compete and make a larger impression, one way or the other, on the club.

—–

Our very own Dustin Nosler is on the scene at Camelback Ranch and reports that Justin Sellers left practice with what appeared to be a lower-leg injury.

Ken Gurnick updates us on Sellers and confirms Nosler’s report, as he says Sellers suffered a sprained ankle.

=====

Greg Zakwin is the founder of the site Plaschke Thy Sweater Is Argyle. Follow him on Twitter @ArgyledPlaschke.

Grantland: Jonah Keri on the riches of the Dodgers and the curse that comes along with it.

That, in a nutshell, is The Curse of Plenty. The Dodgers have more money to spend than anyone, without enough top players to go after. They’ve clogged their roster with merely decent talent at multiple positions because their general manager is impulsive and overeager to spend that money without properly gauging the market for the few elite talents out there. One great way to find those top players is to develop them yourself, but the Dodgers have shipped away several strong prospects to make reactionary trades, such as the Gonzalez deal.

This is still likely to be a good team, one that’s in the hunt for a playoff spot. But because of a few shortsighted moves and a market that can’t provide the great players they crave, the Dodgers may well find themselves back in familiar territory next fall: looking up at the Giants, and wondering where it all went wrong.

Been saying for a while now that all the hype and excitement is nice, but when it comes down to game time, the 2013 Dodgers are no lock, just like the 2012 Dodgers weren’t a lock after all the trades.

Did they get better? Yes, absolutely. However, even on paper, it’s nowhere near the best team in baseball, and it’s certainly no certainty to even win the division. That’s just the reality of the current team.

Now this situation is absolutely preferable to the previous situation, but optimism shouldn’t breed delusion.

—–

Feelin’ Kinda Blue: Dustin Nosler points out that for all the improvements in the off-season, the Dodgers bench is still mediocre.

—–

True Blue LA: Looking at A.J. Ellis and arbitration. He seems to be looking at around $3 million. A deserved raise.

True Blue LA: Analyzing Ronald Belisario and arbitration. He seems to be looking at a range between $1 million and $1.5 million. That is, of course, assuming the Dodgers think he can make it back into America. Who knows what his status is since he recently got kicked off his Winter League team in Venezuela.

—–

Baseball Prospectus: Do you scoff at all those horrid FOX “scouting reports” for pitchers? Of course you do. Well, Sam Miller has got you covered.

Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness: Mike Petriello has a list of the players up for the Rule 5 Draft along with who he thinks will be protected on the 40-man roster.

True Blue LA: Brandon Lennox has basically the same thing but from his perspective.

Both are interesting reads, and I was considering doing one myself, but this off-season has been/will be a mess, so I’m not entirely sure how this will go down or how many spots are even available in reality. I mean, at this rate, some guys who get put on the 40-man might need to be designated or traded later anyway.

I’m not sure how many eligible minor-leaguers are actual threats to stick the whole season with an MLB club. Steven Ames and Tony Gwynn Jr. and … that’s about it?

—–

Plaschke Thy Sweater Is Argyle: Greg Zakwin‘s IBWAA ballot.

Feelin’ Kinda Blue: Dustin Nosler‘s IBWAA ballot.

In case you missed it, I posted mine here, along with the 2012 results.

—–

Plaschke Thy Sweater Is Argyle: Greg Zakwin questions whether or not the Dodgers moves to this point have been primarily public relations based.

True Blue LA: Eric Stephen looks at the available free agent starting pitchers and concludes that it’s Zack Greinke or bust.

When it comes down to it, if the Dodgers are hellbent on adding a starting pitcher they should only add a difference-maker. Dempster is a fall back, while Sanchez (money) and Kuroda (draft pick, age) seem overly expensive and not without significant risk. That leaves Greinke, the pitcher with the best track record and highest ceiling among available options.

Greinke or bust.

I think he’s right, but only assuming that Anibal Sanchez actually gets anywhere close to what he’s asking, and I don’t necessarily buy that. I mean just the other day Jeremy Guthrie was allegedly asking for around $12 million annually.

Feelin’ Kinda Blue: Dustin Nosler says that after pairing age risk and the cost of losing a draft pick, bringing Hiroki Kuroda back is too much to give up.

I get it. Kuroda is a quality pitcher, something the Dodgers could use in the rotation. But he’s not a young guy and having to give up the draft pick is the only reason I don’t want to see the Dodgers bring him back,

This rings especially true if the Dodgers plan to trade away even more players from their dwindling farm system, because then constantly hitting on and having first-round picks is crucial.

Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness: Mike Petriello has a nice summary of everything regarding Hyun Jin Ryu.

The reason I’m skeptical about throwing money at him is because reports seem to have him sitting in the 88-91 range with only his change-up grading as a plus pitch.

So the Arizona Fall League started yesterday, and if you don’t already know what’s going on with that, you can check out the Dodgers players who are there in this article I wrote two months ago.

One glaring difference between that list and what you’ll actually see or hear about is the absence of Yasiel Puig, as he’ll be missing the entirety of the AFL due to a staph infection in his elbow.

Top Dodgers outfield prospect Yasiel Puig will miss the Arizona Fall League because of a staph infection in his right elbow that required a surgical procedure.

Puig is expected to be fully healed in three to five weeks and will rehab at the club’s Camelback Ranch-Glendale facility.

Puig, signed this summer for a $42 million bonus, developed an infection similar to one that sidelined former Dodgers infielder Casey Blake for a month in 2011. Like Blake, Puig underwent a surgical cleaning of the infected area and his throwing elbow will remain immobilized for another week.

It’s not a gigantic deal, but I think basically everybody was looking forward to seeing how he would fare in the AFL in order to get a better read on him.

—–

Remember Pedro Baez? Yeah, the third base prospect whose career stalled due to his inability to develop as a hitter. Well he’s finally been moved to the mound for instructional league, which is basically what most of us have wanted for a while now. Mike Petriello has called for it in the past, I have for a while too, and I think Dustin Nosler has previously as well. It just made sense given the path his career was on as a field player.

The possessor of a plus-plus arm at the hot corner, Baez’s position switch gives birth to new hope for him as a prospect. Yes, his age still matters, but now it’s less about that and his performance and more about whether or not he can adjust to the mound and learn a breaking ball. Looking forward to seeing those velocity readings.

Garrett Gould throws during the June 5th game against the Stockton Ports. Photo by Dustin Nosler.

Baseball America has released their Best Tools rankings for 2012 and it includes four Dodgers prospects and one Dodgers manager.

Tim Federowicz of the Albuquerque Isotopes was named Best Defensive Catcher in the Pacific Coast League. His manager, Lorenzo Bundy, was voted as the Best Managerial Prospect in the league. Garrett Gould of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes was voted as having the Best Breaking Pitch in the California League. His teammate, C.J. Retherford, was named as the Best Defensive 3B in the league. James Baldwin of the Great Lakes Loons was voted as the Best Baserunner in the Midwest League.

I’m quite certain that Federowicz could do a better job than Matt Treanor right now, but one gets the feeling that the team believes he can be a starter down the road, so they want him getting regular playing time. Gould is a prospect that both Dustin Nosler and I like, and his recognition is well deserved. Retherford is not a prospect at this point in his career and Baldwin might be a great baserunner, but he’s not a great hitter. As for Bundy, if he wants to manage in the MLB someday, he’ll probably have to take a job outside the organization, as I don’t think Don Mattingly is going anywhere for a while (nor should he).

—–

The Dodgers recently released the rest of the names of their international signing class of 2012. It had previously been revealed that the team had inked Cristian Gomez out of the Dominican Republic, William Soto out of Venezuela, and Lenix Osuna, Victor Gonzalez, and Julian Leon out of Mexico. The rest of the names, though, had not been revealed until now.

They are Martin Rosario out of Puerto Rico, Luis Subero and Angel Pena out of Venezuela, and Rafael Gomez King, Omarlin Franco, Luis Alcantara, Luis Jimenez, Ezequiel Guzman, Albert Romano, and Jorlin Javier Chales out of the Dominican Republic.

Hanley Ramirez‘s agent Adam Katz told Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports that his client is thrilled:

Hanley agent Adam Katz:”If he was going to be moved then this was his first choice. He can’t wait to get here, compete, do what’s asked.”

— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) July 25, 2012

Well, at least the most important guy likes the trade.

Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness: Mike Petriello likes the deal for the Dodgers.

So for the price of a decent pitching prospect, a low-level minor leaguer, and giving Miami salary relief, the Dodgers have filled two huge holes. If Ramirez doesn’t get his mojo back, then this is probably a win/win for both sides, since even a lessened Ramirez is superior to Uribe and Miami gets Eovaldi and out from Ramirez’ salary. If Hanley rebounds to be something like what he was before – and at 28, there’s still time for him to do so – then this becomes a massive steal for the Dodgers.

It’ll be a while before we know how this turns out, because it could be years until we see what Eovaldi really turns into. Today, on the morning of the deal, I can at least say something I don’t really get to say too often around here: good job, Ned. This isn’t a slam dunk deal, but with everything considered, it is one that is absolutely worth making.

Feelin’ Kinda Blue: Chad Moriyama‘s own Dustin Nosler loves the trade.

So, the Dodgers gave up a couple talented arms for a former and potential superstar (seems weird to write that). The Dodgers were able to use their best asset — deep pockets — to make this deal happen. It seemed the Dodgers weren’t going to be able to swing a deal or acquire a decent player without giving up Zach Lee. However, they found middle ground with the Marlins and were able to absorb all the money, allowing them to acquire Ramirez.

And by moving Eovaldi, the Dodgers are almost a lock to trade for a starting pitcher (*cough* Ryan Dempster *cough*) before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

I absolutely love this deal and I still can’t believe it happened. I wish Eovaldi and McGough all the luck in the world, but the Dodgers got the better end of this deal.

Marlins Daily: Dave Gershman doesn’t think the Dodgers package was worth Hanley Ramirez.

A weird start to the day here on the East Coast, and who knows, it could get weirder if the Marlins continue unloaded pieces whom they don’t see as part of their future plans. For now this one deserves to soak in. Eovaldi is a guy with hard stuff which includes an explosive fastball, something of a potential #2 or #3, I’d say, but I don’t think he’s worth Hanley Ramirez.

FanGraphs: Jack Moore points out that the Dodgers needed to improve and they did.

This Hanley Ramirez is no longer a superstar, but he fills the holes of the Los Angeles Dodgers nearly perfectly. If the Dodgers are going to make a run at the playoffs, they need contributions from the left side of their infield, and Ramirez makes that a possibility again.

Baseball Prospectus: Colin Wyers, Kevin Goldstein, and R.J. Anderson analyze the pieces in the trade.

If Hanley’s upside is a return to something approaching his All-Star years and his downside is puttering along at around league average, the Dodgers have made a gamble they simply can’t lose. Don Mattingly is going to have his own version of Sophie’s choice to make when Gordon returns: “You can lose Juan Uribe or Dee Gordon from your lineup. Pick one and only one.” But either way, the Dodgers have improved their lineup over what it was yesterday.

Sports Illustrated: Cliff Corcoran offered a rare negative take on the Dodgers side of things.

Ramirez has now hit .245/.328/.405 (.249 GPA) in 776 plate appearances over the last two seasons combined. That is not a $15-million-per-year player. That, plus his poor fielding (by the advanced stats, which are generally in agreement, he grades out as every bit as much of a liability in the field at third base as he was at shortstop), means he is not a player who is going to single-handedly put the Dodgers into the playoffs.

Even the diminished Ramirez will be an upgrade over the production Los Angeles has been getting from the left side of the infield (it’s not yet known where he’ll play for the Dodgers). There’s also the “change of scenery” fantasy. The last imagines that getting away from manager Ozzie Guillen, with whom he butted heads, and from a team on which he was literally pushed aside by a new $106 million bauble named Jose Reyes, who has been no more valuable than Ramirez this season, could give Ramirez a fresh start that would rejuvenate his bat. That, however, is wishful thinking, not sound decision-making.

Quakes 3B C.J. Retherford hits against the Stockton Ports on June 5th. Photo: Dustin Nosler

Someone break up the Quakes. Rancho Cucamonga went 7-0 this week, thanks largely in part to my attendance on Tuesday and Wednesday. All kidding aside, the Quakes got some great pitching and some timely hitting to catapult them into a first place tie in their division with the Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego Padres) at 34-30. With six games left in the first half, the Quakes are in a good position to win the division. They have the Lancaster Jethawks (Houston Astros) and High Desert Mavericks (Seattle Mariners) this week.

The Isotopes great week is overshadowed by the Quakes performance. The team hit well and pitched exceptionally well (until giving up 11 runs yesterday). Still, 25 runs allowed in seven games in the Pacific Coast League? Yeah, I’ll take that.

The Lookouts were shortened this week by rain. They were rained out on Saturday and a Sunday doubleheader was also rained out.

The Loons allowed the fewest runs this week at 18. The ‘Topes scored the most at 44.

—–

Albuquerque Isotopes (5-1)

Runs Scored: 44
Runs Allowed: 25

Player Of The Week

Brian Cavazos Galvez – OF

The Isotopes had a nice week at the plate, but no one was hotter than Cavazos-Galvez: 9-for-16 (.562) with a double, a triple, three RBI, and two runs scored. He struggled so much in the Southern League (.167/.233/.359), it’s almost amazing to see him tearing up PCL pitching (.364/.397/.622). This is Cavazos-Galvez’s second award in the last three weeks.

Pitcher Of The Week

John Ely  – RHP

Ely takes his third POTW award by throwing the ball well in one appearance: 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K. Ely has been fantastic for the Isotopes this season, as he’s fourth in the PCL in ERA (3.22, among pitchers with at least 50 IP), leads in strikeouts (78), and is third in K/9 among starting pitchers (9.7).

I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back in the majors sometime this season.

—–

Chattanooga Lookouts (2-3)

Runs Scored: 20
Runs Allowed: 22

Player Of The Week

Brahiam Maldonado – OF

Signed as a free agent earlier this season, Maldonado just barely beat out Blake Smith for this week’s award by going 7-for-16 (.437) with two doubles, two triples, four RBI, and four runs scored. The 26-year-old is hitting significantly better with the Lookouts (.364/.435/.628) than he did with the New York Mets Double-A affiliate (.094/.147/.094).

Pitcher Of The Week

Aaron Miller – LHP

Miller had the best outing of any Lookouts pitcher this week: 5 IP, 6 , 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K. While his WHIP wasn’t great, he did strikeout more batters than he pitched innings.

Miller has been up and down this season for the Lookouts, but there’s obviously still potential in his left arm. He needs to start throwing more innings per start (only 5 IP in five of his last six starts).

—–

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (7-0)

Runs Scored: 39
Runs Allowed: 19

Player Of The Week

C.J. Retherford – 3B

Retherford had perhaps the best week of anyone not named Alex Castellanos this season. He went 13-for-28 (.464) with six home runs, 11 RBI, eight runs scored, and two stolen bases. His triple slash has skyrocketed in the last 10 games and now sits at .337/.369/.631. He was named the California League‘s Player Of The Week. It marks the second week in a row a Quake has won it, as Michael Pericht won it last week.

The only bad thing about this is the fact Retherford is 26 years old in the Cal League, but he hit the cover off the ball this week, regardless. This is Retherford’s second award.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jon Michael Redding – RHP

Redding started on Tuesday and had a fantastic outing. He retired 17 hitters in a row at one point. Redding’s numbers for the week were solid: 14 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 14 K. As a 24-year-old in High-A, he isn’t much of a prospect. He is what he is — a soft-tossing righty who relies on control to be successful.

—–

Great Lakes Loons (2-4)

Runs Scored: 18
Runs Allowed: 18

Player Of The Week

O’Koyea Dickson – 1B/DH

It was another off week offensively for the Loons, but Dickson managed to put up decent numbers in five games: 6-for-18 (.333), one home run, four RBI, three runs scored, two walks, and one strikeout. On the season, the slugging first baseman is up to .325/.428/.561 on the year. He should get a promotion soon — perhaps after the All-Star break. This is Dickson’s third award.

Pitcher Of The Week

Ryan O’Sullivan – RHP

Last year’s fourth-round pick topped Ralston Cash for this week’s award with two stellar outings: 15 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 9 K.  As a groundball pitcher, he isn’t going to get a lot of strikeouts — and hasn’t this season (6.4 K/9). But he’s been effective against Midwest League hitters and might get a look in Rancho before the season is out.

His 2.77 ERA, 1.05 WHIP .199 BAA lead the team (among starting pitchers with enough innings) and is second to Jarret Martin in innings pitched (65 1/3 to 65). This is O’Sullivan’s second award.

Everybody please welcome Dustin Nosler, the newest addition to the site.

Dustin is a journalism major at Sacramento State University (graduating like … tomorrow or something) and is the current Editor-In-Chief of the student newspaper, so you know he’s like awesome and stuff.

Since July of 2009, he has been writing his own blog at Feelin’ Kinda Blue, and he will continue to do so going forward. However, he’ll also be contributing to this site as well, hopefully quite a bit.

I’m excited to have him on board, as I think he’ll contribute a great deal to the quality of the content here.

His debut article should be posted today if I stop being lazy, so look forward to that and much more.