The Dodgers placed center fielder A.J. Pollock on the injured list Tuesday, but are unsure how long he'll be out as an old injury has resurfaced.
Pollock, 31, is dealing with an infected right elbow. The veteran underwent surgeries to repair a broken growth plate in the elbow in 2010 and again in 2016.
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According to the Los Angeles Times, Pollock was set to undergo an exploratory procedure on the elbow Tuesday night. If the screw from the 2016 procedure is in place, he would likely be out just a few weeks. But if the growth plate needs to be repaired again, Pollock probably would miss at least six weeks.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that the team's flight from LA to San Francisco for the start of a series Monday aggravated Pollock's condition.
“This was something that kind of came up out of nowhere, and over the last few days it got worse,” Roberts said (via the Times). “He was playable [on Sunday], but the plane ride aggravated it somehow. We put him on antibiotics, but they haven’t taken. Now we need some doctors to take a look at it.
“How major is it? We don’t know yet. Surgery is an option if they go in there and feel the hardware needs to be addressed. We’re just hoping things go well, and it’s going to be minimal.”
Pollock, who signed a four-year, $55 million deal in the offseason after seven seasons and an All-Star appearance with the Diamondbacks, originally hurt his elbow diving for a ball in a 2010 spring training game. He is slashing .223/.287/.330 in 103 at-bats this year.
Pollock's situation is expected to open up more playing time for rookie Alex Verdugo, who is off to a fast start for the first-place Dodgers (20-12) with four home runs and a .984 OPS in 69 at-bats.