Zack Greinke is throwing from 90 feet in his recovery effort from a broken collarbone.

The Dodgers have been encouraged by Zack Greinke’s recovery from a broken left collarbone, and the right-hander is already throwing less than three weeks removed from surgery.

Greinke threw from 90 feet before Monday’s game against the Rockies. He had surgery on April 13 and had a metal plate inserted into his clavicle to stabilize the fracture. But that’s not prevented him from beginning a throwing program.

“It’s still a little achy here and there, but nothing worse than what you would expect, I think,” Greinke said. “You try not to have setbacks but at the same time do what you can.”

Greinke is likely to be sidelined until mid-June, but the Dodgers are still pleased with his progress.

“I was pretty excited when he walked through the weight room today,” manager Don Mattingly said before Monday’s game. “He’s feeling better. We’re getting closer. We’ll see if he’s sore tomorrow or feels good again.”

He doesn’t appear to be ahead of or behind the schedule.

—–

Ted Lilly is hurt … again. This time it’s back stiffness that has felled the southpaw.

In what is becoming an almost daily occurrence, another Dodgers pitcher is hurt. Ted Lilly, who lasted just three innings in Monday’s 12-2 loss to the Rockies, has stiffness in his back and will have an MRI exam on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury.

Both Lilly and manager Don Mattingly downplayed the injury after the game.

“I think he’s okay. From what I heard afterwards, he got kind of tight somewhere in his back there,” Mattingly said. “It’s something that he’s had before. We didn’t hear anything about it before the game.”

Lilly said he first felt back tightness on Thursday, the day after his start in New York, when he gave up one run in five innings to the Mets. But he didn’t think it would last, as he had a similar issue that went away quickly at the beginning of the 2012 season.

Lilly received a cortisone injection in his rib cage and has been shut down for two days.

The Dodgers said Lilly will be reevaluated again on Thursday to determine the next course of action. If he is unable to start on Saturday against the Giants in San Francisco, it is likely that start will go to Matt Magill, who made his major league debut on Saturday against the Brewers.

“I think I have a few things to be concerned about. The back being one of them, and just ineffectiveness,” Lilly said on Monday night. “There are a lot of guys in this clubhouse not feeling as good as they’d like to, but you still expect to get the results you’re looking for.”

Matt Magill over Ted Lilly, healthy or otherwise.

—–

Carl Crawford was scratched from Tuesday’s game due to tightness in his right hamstring.

Carl Crawford was scratched from the lineup tonight for precautionary reasons due to tightness in his right hamstring.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 30, 2013

Because … of course. Whether it’s serious or not is not yet known, but hamstring issues can linger, regardless.

—–

Hanley Ramirez and his thumb are back in action in The Show.

“I just want to play. I don’t want to wait any longer. I think I can play,” Ramirez said before Monday’s game with the Rockies. “If it’s tomorrow, it’s fine. If it’s tonight, it’s fine. It’s not my decision.”

The Dodgers activated Ramirez from the disabled list before Monday’s game, and placed Clayton Kershaw on the bereavement list.

Ramirez was 3-for-6 (.500) with a double and three runs batted in and a run scored in two minor league rehab games on Saturday and Sunday with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. He didn’t make any throws on Sunday, but manager Don Mattingly was impressed with what he saw of Ramirez on tape.

Don’t dive head-first for a while, Hanley. :o

—–

Chad Billingsley does not regret the path he chose after learning his elbow was seriously injured late last season.

Chad Billingsley said he doesn’t regret choosing platelet-rich plasma injections over Tommy John surgery last year.

— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) April 30, 2013

He also said he thinks he’ll be ready for 2014 Opening Day. If that seems optimistic, it’s because it is. Realistically, hopefully he’s back and healthy by the 2014 All-Star Game break.

—–

Minor-league moves:

Placed on 7-day DL: C Webster Rivas, SS Ozzie Martinez
Reinstated from DL: C Pratt Maynard, SS Casio Grider, OF Brian Cavazos-Galvez

Also off the 7-day DL is Yasiel Puig.

—–

Alex Castellanos was also placed on the minor-league 7-day DL.

Those assumptions, however, proved incorrect as Castellanos was placed on the 7-day disabled list due to right forearm inflammation prior to Tuesday’s game.

“He’s got a little soreness in his forearm so we’re going to let it calm down a little bit,” manager Lorenzo Bundy said prior to the official DL announcement. “He could play, but we’re going to err on the safe side.”

So if something happens to Crawford, first call would probably go to Scott Van Slyke, even over Puig.

=====

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

Stephen Fife is having shoulder problems, because why wouldn’t he with the way the injuries have been going for the Dodgers.

Stephen Fife, who was scheduled to start Saturday night against the Brewers, was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder bursitis. Matt Magill was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque and will make his major league debut in place of Fife.

The upside is that the Dodgers get to test out their top prospects, I guess.

—–

Will Carroll is reporting Zack Greinke will begin a scheduled throwing session next week.

— Will Carroll (@injuryexpert) April 25, 2013

While it certainly seems like a quick recovery, Carroll also notes that it was always expected Greinke would resume throwing following the broken collarbone at this time. Therefore, it doesn’t mean he’ll return to game action any earlier than the original timetable of eight weeks.

Eric Stephen caught up with Don Mattingly and reports that Greinke’s throwing will not be strenuous for the time being.

Don Mattingly said Zack Greinke has been playing catch but nothing strenuous just yet. “He’s not going to start throwing bullpens.”

— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) April 27, 2013

—–

Chad Billingsley‘s elbow finally went boom, and the righty underwent Tommy John surgery, which will sideline him until sometime next season.

Chad Billingsley met with team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Tuesday and the news was not good. The Dodgers’ right-hander will need Tommy John surgery to repair the partially torn ligament in his right elbow. An MRI taken Saturday revealed an injury to the ligament.

Billingsley had increased tightness and pain in his right elbow in a bullpen session on Apr. 19, and he was scratched on Sunday in Baltimore and placed on the disabled list.

The surgery went off as expected with no complications.

The Tommy John surgery performed on Chad Billingsley’s right elbow Wednesday night went as expected, and he could be sidelined for a year.

Should his rehab go well, I would figure no earlier than after the 2014 All-Star Game for Bills’ return.

—–

Hanley Ramirez will head out on a rehab assignment beginning Saturday, as he continues to be ahead of schedule in his return from a torn ligament in his thumb.

Shortstop Hanley Ramirez is likely to begin a Minor League rehab assignment within the next few days, but he’ll still need to wear a splint when he returns to the Dodgers, because the repaired ligament in his right thumb will still be healing.

“Maybe by the end of next week I hope to be [active],” Ramirez said after an improved workout, watched by manager Don Mattingly. “It’s still swollen. It doesn’t look normal yet. I don’t want to come back and go back to the DL. It won’t be 100 percent, but it’ll be at a level I’m comfortable with.

“Right now I think about it a little bit. I still feel it. I have to wear the splint for six weeks. If I come back early, I still have to have it.”

After undergoing surgery on March 22, Ramirez was told his healing time would be six to eight weeks, but he’s been throwing and hitting for more than a week.

HanRam will head to Rancho Cucamonga for the assignment. His goal is to return by the time his “I See You” bobblehead is given out, which just so happens to be this Tuesday.

Rancho coming soon!!!!!

— Hanley Ramirez (@HanleyRamirez) April 25, 2013

—–

Mark Ellis left Friday’s game with a strained right quad suffered as he ran to first to try and beat out a grounder.

Ellis will have an MRI on Saturday and will likely hit the DL if the strain is confirmed.

“He kind of seemed to be optimistic, but we’ll just have to see. It’s tough to see that tonight. Tomorrow probably will be a better indicator.”

Mattingly didn’t want to speculate, but it does sound like an injury that will keep Ellis sidelined for the immediate future.

“If I had to guess, usually guys don’t come out of games like that and it not be something,” Mattingly said. “It’s usually something that’s not going to be a day or two.”

Much like with my fantasy team, the injuries are never-ending and one after another.

—–

Chris Capuano threw a bullpen session Thursday and will take the hill in a simulated game on Sunday. The lefty is on the mend after suffering a left calf strain in the Carlos Quentin Debacle and further aggravating the injury in his only start of the season.

“Cappy hasn’t had to stop at all because of his arm,” said Mattingly.

The next step for Capuano after the simulated game would be a minor league rehab start before he is ready to be activated. The date for Capuano to be activated figures to be May 8, the final game of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium against the Diamondbacks.

With Dodgers pitchers falling left and right, some good news is more than welcome.

—–

Shawn Tolleson had surgery on a herniated disk in his lower back and will be on the shelf for three to five months.

Dodgers reliever Shawn Tolleson was scheduled to undergo surgery for a herniated disk in his lower back Thursday. He will be out three to five months.

Tough break for a really talented guy.

—–

On the minor-league side of things, there were six DL moves made:

Placed on 7-day DL: C Webster Rivas, SS Ozzie Martinez, OF Yasiel Puig
Reinstated from DL: C Pratt Maynard, SS Casio Grider, OF Brian Cavazos-Galvez

Yasiel Puig obviously highlights that list.

=====

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

Dominican Summer League Dodgers: Pitchers

=====

Same awesome picture, this time with actual athletes!

Today, I will continue the 2011 season reviews for the Dodgers minor league affiliates, now with the hitters of the Dominican Summer League Dodgers.

—

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

=====

Webster Rivas – C – 20

Webster Rivas Statistics

Rivas took steps forward in 2011, more than doubling his walk rate (5.0%|11.1%) and upping his wOBA from .329 to .363. Additionally, he continued his strong defensive performance, throwing out 49% of runners, up from 46% of runners last year.

On the basis of his 2011 and at his current age, the Dodgers essentially have to move him to America if they even think of him as future organizational depth.

-

Josmar Cordero – C – 19

Josmar Cordero Statistics

Another catcher who showed progress in 2011, Cordero upped his wOBA from .340 to .385, bettered his walk rate (6.8%|7.1%), reduced his strikeout rate (13.6%|12.8%), and increased his ISO (.131/.138). The peripheral improvements are marginal, but still promising nonetheless.

At this level, scouting reports are what actually matter, but they’re unfortunately extremely rare to find, and casual observers such as myself have no way of obtaining video on them. Luckily, in the case of Cordero, Baseball America reported that he has good catch and throw skills (48%/39% CS) and solid power.

I would think this means the Dodgers will be on pace to move him to America in 2012.

-

Leo Rodriguez – SS – 19

Leo Rodriguez Statistics

On the surface, Rodriguez took a step back in 2011, with his wOBA falling from .366 to .344, but he actually continued his progress. For one, he moved from a primary second baseman to a primary shortstop, and for another, he basically sustained his peripherals while facing a larger sample size (161/239 PA).

While his walk rate dropped (10.6%|8.8%), so did his strikeout rate (13.0%|9.6%), and his ISO almost doubled (.029/.057). As such, he ends 2011 as a solid candidate to move to America in 2012.

-

Melvin Santana – 2B – 19

Melvin Santana Statistics

Yet another older Dominican Summer League product making his professional debut for the Dodgers, Santana made it count, putting up a .354 wOBA with a 10.9% walk rate, 12.2% strikeout rate, and a .099 ISO.

Moreover, he stole 10 bases and was caught 3 times, which makes me speculate that perhaps his .283 BABIP was a bit low considering his projected speed and the defense of the league.

I’m guessing he finds himself back in the DSL for 2012.

-

Gregory Pena – OF – 19

Gregory Pena Statistics

Born in New York, New York, he wasn’t in the MLB draft, and the Dodgers signed him as an international free agent prior to 2010.

In 2010, he struggled a bit, posting a .317 wOBA and .028 ISO. He struck out at a marginally high rate (17.9%), but mitigated that a bit with solid plate discipline (11.5%) and good speed (14/19 SB/SBA).

2011 was a different story though, as it was a year that marked significant growth. Pena posted a .425 wOBA and his ISO jumped to .138, all while maintaining his walk rate (10.6%) and reducing strikeouts (14.2%). Oh and the speed took an uptick as well, swiping 23 bases in 29 attempts.

Pena was undoubtedly the best hitting prospect for the Dominican Summer League Dodgers, and he capped his season by being awarded the August version of the Dodger Pride Awards. I assume he will be given a shot in America in 2012, as I’m not sure what else he could do in this league.

-

Arce Rodriguez – LF – 18

Arce Rodriguez Statistics

At 17, Rodriguez was terrible in the DSL, posting a .255 wOBA, walking just 1.9% of the time, and striking out 20.8% of the time while putting up no power (0 HR/.042 ISO).

At 18 though, he showed the progress that you want at this level, walking 6.2% of the time and reducing strikeouts (19.6%). Perhaps most importantly for his position though, he started mashing more, bombing 4 homers and almost tripling his ISO (.124). Unsurprisingly, this led to a 116 point increase in wOBA, up to .371.

He’s still young, so unless the Dodgers see him as a legitimate prospect, I’m not sure they move him to America, but we’ll see.