Hanley Ramirez feeling better; Dodgers hold off on MRI exam

ST. LOUIS -- Hanley Ramirez reported he was feeling better Monday, and the Dodgers held off on giving the shortstop an MRI exam for his injured right shoulder, Manager Don Mattingly said.

“He felt a lot better this morning,” Mattingly said, adding that he felt “fairly optimistic” about Ramirez’s recovery.

Ramirez injured the shoulder Sunday against the Chicago Cubs when he fell into the Wrigley Field seats while catching a fly ball.

An MRI exam was delayed at least 24 hours because the dye used in the exam could exacerbate the injury for a few days, Mattingly said.

“That’s going to make it worse,” Mattingly said. “The dye, I think, is like three days off right away” in terms of lost additional playing time, he said.

Mattingly also noted that Ramirez “had a similar injury this winter in the Dominican [and] he was hitting within four days. He feels like this is less than that. His movement is a lot more today than yesterday.”

Nick Punto started in place of Ramirez in Monday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Dodgers also called up Dee Gordon from triple-A Albuquerque, who probably will see playing time at shortstop.

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