The Dodgers signed former Giants and Royals lefty Jonathan Sanchez to a minor-league deal, sending him to the Albuquerque Isotopes.

2:17pm: The Dodgers will sign Jonathan Sanchez to a minor league deal, according to Pedro Gomez of ESPN (on Twitter). The contract is pending a physical, and Sanchez is likely to report to Triple-A Albquerque. Sanchez is represented by the McNamara Baseball Group.

4:00pm: Sanchez has a July 1 opt-out date if he’s not on the Major League roster, according to Chris Cotillo of CLNS Radio (on Twitter). Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles confirms the report (Twitter link).

Eric Stephen has more.

On the surface, this seems like a lottery ticket move by the Dodgers, looking to recapture some of the magic of the pitcher who threw a no-hitter and struck out over a batter per inning in six years with the Giants. Sanchez has been an absolute mess the past two seasons, as he is 0-12 in his last 18 starts with a 9.13 ERA, 58 walks, and 52 strikeouts in 71 innings. Sanchez was 0-3 with an 11.85 ERA in five appearances with the Pirates this season before his release on May 8.

Ned Colletti has always enjoyed picking pitchers up from the scrap heap, though it has almost always been relievers. Sanchez was a Giant though, so that hasn’t changed.

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Zack Greinke was activated from the DL on the May 15, with Josh Beckett being placed on the disabled list in a corresponding move.

The Dodgers activated Zack Greinke from the disabled list on Wednesday to start against the Nationals, but another starting pitcher took his place on the shelf. Josh Beckett was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left groin strain to make room for Greinke, and becomes the sixth Dodgers starting pitcher to hit the disabled list this season.

The team is finally getting healthy, so a more accurate picture of the squad can begin to be gleaned as we move forward.

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Ted Lilly came off of the DL on Monday as well, with Matt Magill heading to AAA to open up a spot on the 25-man roster.

The Dodgers on Monday before their game against the Brewers activated Ted Lilly from the disabled list and, as expected, optioned Matt Magill to Triple-A Albuquerque. The next question is whether or not the Dodgers use Thursday’s off day to skip that spot in the rotation for now.

Lilly’s long-term role has yet to be determined. He’s starting Saturday and will likely get at least a couple of turns in the rotation before Beckett returns.

A couple of good starts and perhaps the Dodgers can deal him. Or at least Ned would trade for him. Too bad he’s the GM of the Dodgers.

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Juan Noriega was loaned to Monclova of the Mexican League, and Eliezer Alfonzo was sent to Mexico City.

The team also released catcher Selme Angulo.

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

Chad Billingsley, with his elbow basically hanging by a thread and ready to explode at any moment, has been placed on the 15-day DL with right elbow pain. The move is retroactive to April 16 and it marks his second stint on the DL in the young season.

#Dodgers place RHP Chad Billingsley on 15-day DL (right elbow pain) retroactive to 4/16 and recall RHP Stephen Fife to make today’s start.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 21, 2013

Billingsley underwent a MRI exam yesterday. Results still haven’t been reviewed by #DrNealElAttrache.

— Dylan Hernandez (@dylanohernandez) April 21, 2013

Billingsley said the feeling in his elbow isn’t the same as last year.This elbow pain didn’t happen on 1 pitch like last year

— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) April 21, 2013

While it was an admirable attempt to help the team, at least in theory, he really should have gotten Tommy John surgery last August/September.

Stephen Fife was recalled to replace Bills and started Sunday in his place.

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Hanley Ramirez continues to progress with his rehab, though Don Mattingly doesn’t foresee a rehab assignment for another week or so.

Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez took live early batting practice at Camden Yards before Friday night’s game and hit with power, but manager Don Mattingly said a Minor League rehab assignment is still at least a week away.

“It’s still a little sore in the joint, three weeks without moving it,” said Ramirez, who appeared ginger on his throws to first base.

“What he’s been able to do has shocked all of us,” said Mattingly. “Taking BP, his swing is like normal. Is he able to do that without the brace? There’s still healing to be done. It seems his throwing, he still has trouble with the feel making all his throws. He asked if he could DH tonight and I couldn’t hardly argue. I wouldn’t mind it.”

The Dodgers are pleased with the power Ramirez has shown in BP, and the fact that he’s healing ahead of schedule bodes well for a team with offensive vortexes at both 3B and SS.

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Chris Capuano hit the 15-day DL with a left calf strain suffered during the Carlos Quentin/Zack Greinke incident two Thursdays ago.

#Dodgers place LHP Chris Capuano on 15-day DL (left calf strain); recall C Tim Federowicz from @abqtopes.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 17, 2013

Capuano received treatment between the original injury and his spot-start on Tuesday, before re-injuring it during the game while running to cover first base.

The left calf strain that put Dodgers pitcher Chris Capuano on the disabled list on Wednesday originally surfaced on Thursday night during the benches-clearing incident in San Diego that sidelined Zack Greinke.

Capuano said he felt tightness before that game and felt it worsen while sprinting in from the bullpen during the fracas that was triggered when Greinke hit Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin with a pitch.

Capuano said he thought the injury had responded enough to four days of treatment to allow him to start Tuesday night in Greinke’s place, only for the muscle to partially tear when he sprinted off the mound to cover first base in the second inning.

Chris had an MRI and received an injection of platelet-rich plasma in the affected area on Thursday.

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Where is Yasiel Puig? On the DL.

The answer to why Dodgers outfield prospect Yasiel Puig didn’t play for Double-A Chattanooga on Friday night was the simplest of sorts. No, he wasn’t en route to Baltimore to join the Dodgers. Instead, Puig was placed on the seven-day disabled list with a sprained left thumb, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

While this should serve to blunt the madness surrounding his name, he desperately needs the plate appearances.

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Down on the farm, five Dodgers got healthy and three more hit the DL.

RHP Matt Shelton, C Pratt Maynard, and OF Devin Shines were placed on the 7-day DL, while RHP Steve Ames, RHP Juan Noriega, C Jan Vazquez, SS Ozzie Martinez, and OF Pat Stover were reinstated from the DL.

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

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 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.

Dominican Summer League Dodgers: Pitchers
Dominican Summer League Dodgers: Hitters

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There’s no Arizona League picture of suitable size, so you’re stuck with what’s actually a better alternative.

Anyway, today I continue my off-season recap of the minor league affiliates, moving on to the pitchers of the Arizona League Dodgers.

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I’ll be picking the prospects for the 2012 Prospective Prospect Profiles list from these reviews, so it might be worth reading. Or not.

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Jose Dominguez – RHP – 20

Jose Dominguez Statistics

After three years in the Dominican Summer League, he finally got his shot in America and thrived, posting a 3.50 ERA, 3.57 FIP, and 3.36 SIERA in 10 starts and 43.2 IP. In particular, his hot June earned him the month’s Dodger Pride Award. At Rookie-ball in Ogden, he struggled in 3 starts, but it’s tough to read too much into that.

More importantly, his stuff seems to have improved as well, going from touching 89-90 to sitting a tad above that range. Additionally, his curve is progressing nicely, but he’ll still need a dependable third pitch as a starter and he’s not necessarily young for his level of competition.

Unfortunately, I can’t go without mentioning that he tested positive for Stanozolol and was suspended for 50 games back in 2009.

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Eric Eadington – LHP – 23

Eric Eadington Statistics

Eadington’s 2011 performance was excellent, as he posted a 1.59 ERA, 1.35 FIP, and 2.39 SIERA in 9 games of relief work over 11.1 IP. In 9 games and 10.1 IP in Ogden, he posted an even better 0.00 ERA, 1.55 FIP, and 1.92 SIERA.

The catch, of course, is that he was already 23, which is normally grounds for ignoring a performance like this, as somebody at his age should be dominating this level of competition. However, coming out of college from Harvard explains his age, and the words “lefty” and “reliever” combined with velocity from 90-93 will draw interest.

Eadington is solidly build and throws from a 3/4 arm slot. He has a repeatable delivery and solid mechanics, though I think he could hide the ball better if he completed his follow through. As a potential LOOGY, he stays closed longer than normal, so it’s deceptive from that side of the plate. To go along with his velocity, he has a curve that neutralizes lefties and he generally throws strikes.

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Matthew Laney – LHP – 22

Matthew Laney Statistics

For 24.1 IP in 12 games, Laney put up a 0.74 ERA, 2.46 FIP, and 3.43 SIERA, an impressive performance, but with the caveat that he’s 22 and old for the competition level.

As a lefty reliever though, there’s hope for him to move quickly, especially since his velocity has grown from 83-85 to 88-91 in college at Coastal Carolina. He has a curve and a change, but he’ll only need the former pitch in his projected role. For a big guy, his delivery is surprisingly coordinated and his control should hold up as he moves levels. I still think he’ll need to sit in the low-90s to have a legitimate shot.

He’s a rather large individual and he’ll need to work at maintaining his weight.

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Juan Noriega – RHP – 20

Juan Noriega Statistics

He weighs in at 145 and stands 5’7″, so even though I’ve never seen him pitch, I can’t say I’m all that optimistic about his prospects.

However, I’d be remissed if I didn’t mention his 2011 performance, which consisted of allowing 0 runs in 13 Arizona League innings and 4 innings in Ogden. Additionally, he struck out 27 and walked 2, so he was simply dominant.

What does it mean? Who knows, but it’s worth noting.

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Kazuya Takano – RHP – 18

Kazuya Takano Statistics

His 6.82 ERA was ugly, and his peripheral measurements were better but not by that much, as shown by his 5.06 FIP and 4.01 SIERA. However, he missed a good number of bats (17.5%) and showed control beyond his years (5.2%), but simply gave up far too many bombs to be effective. Throw in the fact that this is a teenager in unfamiliar surrounding with nobody from his background around, and it’s understandable that he might struggle initially.

Like most Japanese pitchers, he has about eleventy billion different pitches, but the significant ones are his 85-88 fastball and slow curve. I’m assuming he’ll be developed as a starter, in which case his third pitch will likely be the changeup with the split grip, unless the Dodgers puzzling aversion to the pitch opts to develop the slider/cutter that the system philosophy seems to prefer.

Unsurprisingly, he has solid mechanics with ideal timing, and his control is likely to be a strong point for him throughout his career. At 6’1″, there’s room for velocity upticks, which will be something to look out for going forward.

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Daniel Tamares – RHP – 21

Daniel Tamares Statistics

After 4 years in the Dominican Summer League, Tamares finally got his crack stateside and made the most of it, posting a 2.11 ERA, 1.65 FIP, and 1.91 SIERA.

Haven’t seen him, heard about him, or read about him, but just based on his peripherals, he seems ready to test the waters at Ogden as a reliever.