All I really care about is Julio Urias, but there were a couple prospects who had solid weeks for their respective Dodgers minor-league teams. With Yasiel Puig having been promoted from Double-A, the Lookouts offense now runs through Joc Pederson. The Dominican Summer League started play this week as well, and some of the bigger international signings should log ample playing time in the league.

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Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes (5-2 & 3-3)

Player Of The Week – 5/27

Jeremy Moore – OF

.389/.476/.778/1.254, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 2B, 1 3B, 4 R, 1 SB, 3 BB, 3 K

Moore, picked up in the offseason after being released by the Angels, had himself a nice week for the Isotopes. He missed the entire 2012 season, and at 25 isn’t much of a prospect, but he has a little shine left (emphasis on little).

Player Of The Week – 6/3

Matt Angle – OF

.500/.600/1.250/1.850, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 K

The man who amazingly remained on the 40-man roster for the entire 2012 season, Angle had his best week to date. With Scott Van Slyke and now Alex Castellanos in Los Angeles, Angle will continue to get lots of playing time in the outfield.

Pitcher Of The Week – 5/27

Blake Johnson – RHP

7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K

Johnson has been one of the only constants in the Isotopes rotation this season. He’s having a particularly good season in Albuquerque.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/3

Red Patterson – RHP

10 2/3 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 12 K

I’ve had a soft spot for Patterson over the last couple seasons. He’s underrated and could be a long reliever in the majors. He’s been a staple in the Isotopes bullpen and is now getting the occasional start.

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Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts (4-3 & 5-1)

Player Of The Week – 5/27

Gorman Erickson – C

.333/.444/.800/1.244, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 2B, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K

Erickson beat out the otherworldly Yasiel Puig for this week’s honor. Erickson hit almost as many home runs this week as he did all of last season in the Southern League. Unfortunately, he’s hitting less than .200.

Player Of The Week – 6/3

Sean Burroughs – 3B

.429/.529/.571/1.100, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 1 K

Yeah, this is that Sean Burroughs. The Lookouts haven’t been hitting a whole lot, and Burroughs’ solid week took the proverbial cake. It’s hard to give this honor to a guy who’s 32 in Double-A, but here we are.

Pitcher Of The Week – 5/27

Chris Reed – LHP

7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K

It was difficult to not put Zach Lee (7 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 8 K, Southern League Pitcher Of The Week), but Reed outdueled Diamondbacks prospect Archie Bradley in his lone appearance. That earned him some points in my book. Reed is destined for the bullpen, but if he has a few more starts like this, he could remain in the rotation for a bit longer.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/3

Andres Santiago – RHP

6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K

Santiago edged out some solid performances from Rob Rasmussen, Jose Dominguez, and Yimi Garcia for this week’s honor. Santiago hasn’t been great this season, but perhaps this could be the start of something good.

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High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (2-5 & 3-4)

Player Of The Week – 5/27

O’Koyea Dickson – 1B

.345/.387/.724/1.111, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 5 2B, 7 R, 1 BB, 7 K

Dickson is steadily having a decent season for the Quakes, playing mostly first base while also DHing and even logging some surprising innings at third base. This was his best week to date.

Player Of The Week – 6/3

Darnell Sweeney – SS

.379/.424/.621/1.045, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 2B, 1 3B, 4 R, 2 SB, 3 BB, 11 K

Sweeney has posted some decent numbers this season, including a cycle earlier this year. He’s hit both leadoff and third for the Quakes, but is firmly entrenched as their leadoff man for now and likely the rest of the season.

Pitcher Of The Week – 5/27

Jarret Martin – LHP

6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K

Martin had a solid week for the Quakes, as the team continues to lose pitchers to promotions. Barring anything unforeseen, Martin should be in the Rancho rotation the rest of the season.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/3

Gustavo Gomez – RHP

7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

Gomez is pitching a lot better than expected for the Quakes this season. His 4.12 ERA, considering the environment, is solid, but his 3.41 FIP and 2.98 SIERA are even better. This was his best start of the season.

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Low-A Great Lakes Loons (1-6 & 4-2)

Player Of The Week – 5/27

Aaron Miller – OF

.273/.333/.455/.788, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K

It was a poor offensive week for the Loons, so the converted pitcher takes the honor this week. Considering Miller just recently made the change, he’s not doing too poorly.

Player Of The Week – 6/3

Tyler Ogle – C/1B

.455/.571/.727/1.298, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 2B, 5 BB, 4 K

Ogle, named to the Midwest League All-Star team, edged out Corey Seager for this week’s honor. He’s the team’s best veteran hitter, and it shows with his team-leading .418 on-base percentage.

Pitcher Of The Week – 5/27

Carlos Frias – RHP

6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

Another MWL All-Star, Frias is the ace of the Loons’ rotation. At 23, he’s not age-appropriate for the league, but he’s pitching well nonetheless.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/3

Julio Urias – RHP

5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K

Urias’ amazing debut continued with the best outing of his young career. He has a special arm and could be the team’s top prospect in a year or two.

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Dominican Summer League Dodgers (2-4)

Player Of The Week – 6/3

Jose Luis Javier – 3B/2B

.300/.364/.450/.814, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K

It was tough to find a player from the DSL Dodgers’ opening week, but Javier had the best statistical week. It’d be more impressive if he weren’t 20 years old. I expect guys like Michael Medina and Ariel Sandoval to populate this list the rest of the summer.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/3

Nelson Sandoval – RHP

4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K

The 19-year-old Venezuelan had a nice season debut after throwing 17 2/3 innings with the DSL squad in 2012. He could be a guy to watch this summer.

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Dustin Nosler is the founder of the site Feelin’ Kinda Blue. He also co-hosts the weekly podcast Dugout Blues. Follow him on Twitter @FeelinKindaBlue or like his site on Facebook.

Hanley Ramirez‘s rehab is going well, but the team isn’t keen on rushing him, so he’s still two weeks away.

Hanley Ramirez tested his hamstring running in the outfield, and Mattingly said the shortstop continues to make progress, although he is still probably two weeks away from playing.

As was the case the first time he came back from injury, given what the Dodgers have been running out on the left side of the infield, his return could have the biggest impact on the team to date.

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Scott Elbert continued his rehab assignment at High-A Rancho Cucamonga…

Dodgers reliever Scott Elbert pitched a scoreless sixth inning with the Quakes, allowing one hit and walking one. The left-hander has tossed three scoreless innings since beginning his rehab assignment on Friday. He’s working his way back from a pair of elbow operations during the winter.

…then made an appearance at Double-A Chattanooga on Saturday.

Elbert started and threw 13 pitches after already making three relief appearances with Class A Rancho Cucamonga. He allowed a single and RBI double to the first two batters he faced, then retired the next three hitters.

Elbert could be back to help the bullpen later this week, as his velocity his risen in recent appearances.

At the start of the season, he seemed like a luxury due to J.P. Howell and Paco Rodriguez, but now the bullpen could desperately use another quality arm.

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Zack Greinke was activated from the DL ahead of schedule and made a very good return to action.

In a corresponding move, Josh Beckett hit the 15-day DL following speculation that he was hurt and would need time to heal.

The Los Angeles Dodgers seemed to have a hard time getting the story straight after Monday’s 6-2 loss to the Washington Nationals. Josh Beckett, who is 0-5 with a 5.19 ERA, left the game after just three innings in part, manager Don Mattingly said, because he slightly strained a groin muscle covering first base on an Adam LaRoche groundout.

Beckett is also battling an assortment of minor injuries, Mattingly said. But what?

“He’s had some little stuff going on in different areas, and I think it was bothering him tonight,” Mattingly said.

Little stuff, such as?

“We had known some little stuff was going on,” Mattingly said.

I don’t know how they treat things here,” he [Beckett] said.

He also said, “I’m healthy enough to pitch,” which might be a regrettable phrase if the Dodgers, indeed, put Beckett on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday. The timing would be opportune as it appears Zack Greinke will come off the DL to pitch against Washington Wednesday night. Mattingly wouldn’t confirm that Greinke will pitch Wednesday, but said they’ve settled on a starter.

Either that’s a phantom DL or there’s a scary disconnect between the player and the training staff here.

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Ted Lilly claims he’s healthy and ready to get back to major-league action.

Dodgers left-hander Ted Lilly declared himself healthy after going five innings during a Minor League rehab start with Class A Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday night.

Lilly allowed four runs on five hits, striking out three against three walks as the Quakes lost to the San Jose Giants, 4-3.

The veteran said he felt no discomfort from a strained right rib cage that forced him to the disabled list May 3. He was in the Dodgers’ clubhouse after their 3-1 win over the Nationals and will travel with the club to Atlanta for a three-game series that begins Friday.

Lilly said he does not expect to make another start in the Minors, though he said he hasn’t spoken to management about the next step in his rehab.

Just because he might be healthy doesn’t mean he’ll be productive, but he was activated from the DL on Monday anyway, and he will start for the team on Saturday.

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Scott Van Slyke had x-rays on his left leg after fouling back-to-back pitches off said leg.

X-rays were negative on the lower left leg of Dodgers outfielder Scott Van Slyke, who exited Sunday’s 5-2 loss against the Braves after he fouled consecutive pitches off his leg in a seventh-inning at-bat.

Van Slyke said there was no fracture, although it was “pretty sore” having fouled the pitches “an inch apart on the same ligament.”

He said he’ll be able to return to action immediately, as long as he can tolerate the discomfort.

“I should be good,” he said.

Last thing the team needed was the only bench bat with pop going down.

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Luis Cruz is apparently dealing with bone spurs in his throwing elbow now, which Chad brought up as potentially foreshadowing a phantom DL case.

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Mark Ellis was activated from the DL, saying his rehab was over and he’s ready to go.

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Corey Seager has been placed on the minor-league 7-day DL with a hamstring injury.

The 18th pick in last year’s draft, Corey Seager will take a break from his full-season debut as he rehabs a hamstring injury. He hit .267/.333/.410 with three homers in 29 games for low Class A Great Lakes, giving him a .743 OPS that is comfortably above the Midwest League average.

While Seager hasn’t been tearing it up like he did last year, he’s been better than league average and is still extremely young for pro ball.

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Minor-league injury news includes one important return.

Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Jonathan Martinez, RHP Sean White, LHP Jake Hermsen, C John Cannon, 1B Paul Hoenecke
Reinstated from DL: RHP Jon Michael Redding, C Webster Rivas, 2B Elevys Gonzalez, OF Alex Castellanos, OF Jeremy Moore, OF Devin Shines

Alex Castellanos is now back in the mix.

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Greg Zakwin is the founder of the site Plaschke Thy Sweater Is Argyle. Follow him on Twitter @ArgyledPlaschke and find him contributing at Yahoo! Sports.

While Don Mattingly believes Matt Kemp‘s shoulder may be a mental hurdle he’ll have to get past, he and the Dodgers staff are not concerned about it affecting Kemp physically, as the injury hasn’t cropped back up after off-season surgery and there have been no lingering side effects.

“He may be thinking about [the shoulder], but it doesn’t seem like it any more,” manager Don Mattingly said before Tuesday’s game against the Giants. “I think when we assessed Spring Training, we felt like that was one of the hurdles that we crossed that was successful.”

The injury will likely temper Kemp’s power early in the season, but hopefully his shoulder responds better than Adrian Gonzalez‘s did after a similar injury during his time in Boston.

It’s a situation worth monitoring, but it certainly doesn’t seem worthy of panic.

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Chad Billingsley had a successful rehab start in Rancho and is in line to start in the bigs on Wednesday.

Chad Billingsley allowed four runs in four innings in his minor league rehab assignment with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday night, but more importantly the Dodgers right-hander is healthy and his curve ball was unhindered by the contusion on his right index finger. Billingsley’s next start will likely by Wednesday in San Diego against the Padres.

“My curve was a lot sharper. In the last outing I was throwing 50-foot curve balls. Tonight they were more on top of the plate, I got a double play ball out of one. It was definitely worth it coming back here,” Billingsley said. “I’m ready for the next outing.”

Bills’ finger was fine and he was able to throw his curve.

“It went well. I accomplished everything I needed to to get ready for my next start,” Billingsley said on Friday at Dodger Stadium. “I’ve got no issues with the finger. I’m anxious to get back out there, compete and win some ballgames.”

It’s something to watch for during his start this week, for sure.

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Ted Lilly went six innings in a minor-league rehab start.

Lilly is expected to make at least one more rehab start before he’s ready to start in the Major Leagues, and then the Dodgers must find room for him. Manager Don Mattingly earlier said Lilly is not a likely candidate for the bullpen, where the Dodgers already have stashed starting pitchers Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang.

Not shockingly, Lilly allowed a few dingers.

The odds are still good that Lilly will be dealt or released when he’s healthy enough to return, as the Dodgers already have three superior lefties in the pen and could get Scott Elbert back at some point around the middle of this season.

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The Dodgers placed minor leaguers Juan Abreu, Juan Noriega, Matt Palmer, Mario Santiago, Steve Cilladi, Jan Vazquez, Pedro Guerrero, Casio Grider, Ozzie Martinez, Brian Cavazos-Galvez, Jeremy Moore, Pat Stover, and Joey Winker on the 7-day DL.

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

The Dodgers have sent Matt Magill, Steven Ames, and Matt Palmer to minor-league camp, removing them from contention for a 25-man roster spot.

Not surprising for any of the three, as Magill and Ames are still a year-plus away from being legitimate roster contenders – especially considering the depth of the Dodgers staff and pen – and Palmer recently underwent knee surgery and was never a true threat to begin with.

Additionally, Brian Barden, Hector Luna, and Jeremy Moore all got their tickets to minor-league camp as well. Like the other trio, all three were slated to be in Albuquerque in 2013.

—–

In addition to the cuts, the team released left-handed pitchers Victor Garate and Wilmin Rodriguez, along with catcher Angelo Ponte and right-handed pitcher Hector Correa.

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The team inked right-hander Pablo Gonzalez and outfielder Robbie Garvey, presumably to minor-league deals.

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Shocker of all shockers: Don Mattingly doesn’t consider Yasiel Puig a candidate to make the big-league squad out of Spring Training.

Is Yasiel Puig a candidate for opening day roster? “Not really in my mind,” said Don Mattingly

Anyone who thought a guy with just 23 games and 95 plate appearances of professional ball – none above high-A, to boot – was a real threat to start the season in the bigs was just kidding themselves and focused on Puig’s freakish physique.

“It’s probably not the best thing for him. People probably don’t want to hear that, but realistically it’s not the best thing for him,” said manager Don Mattingly. “I don’t think our organization thinks it would be the best thing for a guy with as few at-bats as he’s gotten.”

He should be good, but he needs time in the minors to learn and grow like anybody else.

—–

Speaking of roster decisions, Tim Federowicz appears to have the inside track on the backup catcher job, which is what the team was probably hoping for all along.

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Watch Kenley Jansen in the World Baseball Classic tomorrow against the Dominican Republic, as he was called up to the Netherlands squad for the semi-finals.

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Dylan Hernandez relays the 2013 salaries of Dodgers with under three years of major-league service time. The salaries apply only when these players are up in The Show, as they make significantly less if sent down to the minors.

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

Paco Rodriguez, Alfredo Amezaga, and Peter Moylan, three Dodgers with shots at making the Opening Day roster, have withdrawn from the World Baseball Classic to focus on making the club.

With Scott Elbert rehabbing, Paco in particular is competing for the spot of left-handed reliever, though J.P. Howell would appear to be the front-runner there. Moylan is in the running for the bullpen as well, no matter how deep it is, simply due to the fact that he’s a veteran (see: Jamey Wright). Amezaga would appear to be a long-shot to make the outfield reserves on a team with such a high payroll, but the Dodgers don’t actually have a lot of options there, especially those who can play center field. Barring a trade, it basically boils down to him, Tony Gwynn Jr., Elian Herrera, and Jeremy Moore. In other words, hopefully there’s a trade.

Paco was slated to compete for Spain, Amezaga for Mexico, and Moylan for Australia, but at the risk of missing most of Spring Training, all three Dodgers on the roster bubble decided against participating. That leaves five Dodgers who are still in the WBC in Hanley Ramirez (Dominican Republic), Adrian Gonzalez (Mexico), Luis Cruz (Mexico), Nick Punto (Italy), and Ronald Belisario (Venezuela), none of whom figure to be in danger of losing spots.

The Dodgers have invited 12 players to their Winter Development Camp, which, after operating for its first five years of existence at Dodger Stadium, will move to Camelback Ranch due to construction at Chavez Ravine.

Zach Lee, Joc Pederson, Chris Reed, Onelki Garcia, Paco Rodriguez, Chris Withrow, Steven Ames, Matt Magill, Tim Federowicz, Matt Wallach, and newcomers Jeremy Moore and Rob Rasmussen makeup the 12 players selected by the organization.

Though Yasiel Puig was originally scheduled to participate in the camp, the Dodgers have opted to leave him with his Puerto Rican Winter League team, which is in the midst of a playoff run.

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The Dodgers signed former Rays lefty J.P. Howell to a one-year, $2.75 million deal with incentives. Chad has details and analysis here.

I’m just glad the deal is for one year, especially given Ned Colletti‘s proclivity to give veteran bullpen guys long-term deals.

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Jeremy Moore is one of five players to recently sign a minor-league deal with the club. Fabio Castro, Wilmin Rodriguez, Omar Luna, and Rusty Ryal round out the signings. Also, Scott Van Slyke was re-signed after being outrighted.

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Alfredo Amezaga has signed his second minor-league deal with the Dodgers and has been invited to Spring Training. He was an NRI to Spring Training in 2010 as well.

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