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.

Javy Guerra has been optioned to AAA after a rough spring in which he dealt with injury and had been limited to just a couple of appearances. The Dodgers have a deep pen and, with Guerra’s injuries and struggles, he was going to have to excel during Spring Training to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Tony Gwynn Jr. was also assigned to AAA Albuquerque. Gwynn was one of the few guys with the ability to backup Matt Kemp and previous big-league experience doing so, but the move reinforces just how little Tony can swing the lumber and the fact that the Dodgers clearly have faith that Carl Crawford will be healthy enough to serve as the number two center fielder.

Shawn Tolleson and Justin Sellers were optioned to AAA, while Jesus Flores was reassigned to minor-league camp. Additionally, Chris Withrow was optioned to minor-league camp along with Juan Abreu and Wilkin Castillo.

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The team released three players in Dallas McPherson, Ramon Castro, and Nick Evans.

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On the flip side of things, the team has signed Dashenko Ricardo of Curacao to a contract after Dashenko participated in the World Baseball Classic.

Along with Ricardo came the signings of Dominican prospects Dennis Santana and Carlos Aquino – both shortstops – and lefty Cesar Romero.

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Tim Federowicz has probably locked up the job of backing up A.J. Ellis with the removal of Jesus Flores from major-league camp.

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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 a lot of guys to play in winter ball following the conclusion of the Arizona Fall League. They are well represented in the Caribbean Winter Leagues and it’s nice to see some guys getting consistent playing time.

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Dominican Winter League

Geison Aguasviva has a 7.71 ERA in 2 1/3 innings.

Juan Abreu has thrown 6 2/3 innings, allowed 6 hits, two runs, two earned runs (2.70 ERA), six walks, and struck out five.

Wilkin Castro is 22-for-98 (.224) with a home run and nine walks.

Brian Cavazos-Galvez is 8-for-33 (.242). He’s not doing much down there.

Kelvin De La Cruz (your guess is as good as mine) has thrown 14 1/3 innings, allowed 16 hits, nine runs, seven earned runs (3.91 ERA), six walks, and has struck out 19. He’s a 6’5″ left-hander from the Dominican Republic.

Jose Dominguez was just added to the roster. He’s given up one hit and struck out two in 2/3 of an inning. Still throwing hard despite his suspension.

Tim Federowicz hasn’t played since Nov. 10. Only concerning because he’s on pace to be the team’s backup and could use the playing time.

Dee Gordon finished his winter league season by hitting .269/.350/.407/.757 with 11 walks in 108 at-bats. He had six triples, but was just 9-for-15 in stolen base attempts.

Elian Herrera is 20-for-86 (.233) with five doubles and 12 walks.

Luis Vazquez has thrown 12 2/3 innings, allowed up 10 hits, four runs, three earned runs (2.13 ERA), and struck out 13. The blemish: he’s given up 12 walks.

Rafael Ynoa is 4-for-18 (.222) with a home run. He’s basically been playing baseball since March, so it’s safe to say he’s running out of gas.

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Venezuelan Winter League

Blake Johnson finished his season with a 0.69 ERA. He allowed eight hits, three runs, one earned run, one walk, and struck out four in 13 innings.

Miguel Sulbaran has a 2.45 ERA in 3 2/3 innings. The 18-year-old has allowed five hits, one run, two walks, and two strikeouts.

C.J. Retherford has a .299/.392/.485 triple-slash with seven home runs, 15 doubles, and 30 walks.

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Mexican Winter League

Jesus Alberto Arredondo has a .214/.299/.257 triple-slash with five doubles, 28 walks, and 13 stolen bases.

Juan Noriega has thrown 23 2/3 innings, allowed 29 hits, 11 runs, 10 earned runs, eight walks, and struck out 16.

Francisco Villa has allowed six hits, two runs, no earned runs, three walks, and struck out five in six innings.

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Puerto Rican Winter League

Freddie Cabrera has thrown 17 innings, allowed 26 hits, seven runs, six earned runs, five walks, and struck out eight.

Onelki Garcia has thrown 10 1/3 innings, allowed 15 hits, five runs, five earned runs (4.35 ERA), three walks, and struck out nine. It’s just nice to see him getting some work.

Jarret Martin hasn’t pitched since Nov. 17.

Osvaldo Martinez is 25-for-96 (.291) with five doubles and a triple.

Aaron Miller made his debut on Saturday. He went two innings, allowed three hits, three runs, two earned runs, two walks, and struck out two.

Andres Santiago has given up three hits, two runs, one earned run (3.00 ERA), one walk, and struck out one in two innings.

Yasiel Puig is 9-for-33 (.273) with a home run, seven RBI, and an ugly 1/13 BB:K ratio. He missed about 10 days with a knee injury.

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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.

The Dodgers announced their full coaching staff for 2013:

Don Mattingly – Manager (3rd Season)
Chuck Crim – Bullpen Coach (1st Season)
Trey Hillman – Bench Coach (3rd Season)
Rick Honeycutt – Pitching Coach (8th Season)
Davey Lopes – First Base Coach (3rd Season)
Mark McGwire – Hitting Coach (1st Season)
Tim Wallach – Third Base Coach (3rd Season)
Ken Howell – Assistant Pitching Coach (1st Season, 6th On Staff)
John Valentin – Assistant Hitting Coach (1st Season)
Manny Mota – Coach (34th Season)
Steve Yeager – Coach (2nd Season)

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As Chad noted, the Dodgers recently hired a slew of international scouts. Credit to the new ownership group for their renewed emphasis on building a farm system that includes international players.

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Matt Magill and Steven Ames were added to the 40-man roster, bringing the total for the club to 38.

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The Dodgers signed former Mets first/third baseman Nick Evans to a minor-league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, as reported first by Chris Jackson. Evans will likely be stationed in AAA, as Jackson notes, but could feasibly find himself at the back of the bench with a monster Spring or if an injury arises.

Additionally, the Dodgers added RHP Juan Abreu, RHP Hector Correa, RHP Greg Infante, LHP Kelvin De La Cruz, LHP Thomas Melgarejo, C Wilkin Castillo, and SS Miguel Rojas on minor-league deals. Also, 3B C.J. Retherford was re-signed.