PHOENIX -- Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier's broken right leg still isn't fully healed and there's no timetable for his return.
Ethier fouled a pitch off his leg on March 18, and when a fracture was discovered four days later, the prognosis was a return in 10-14 weeks. That was 12 weeks ago and he still isn't running or even putting serious weight on the leg.
"You can't put timetables on an injury like this," said Ethier.
"It's a little slower than we thought. At the eight-week exam, I was expecting to have the OK and go do baseball stuff and slowly progress into running. It was a little bit of a jaw dropper when you get the result. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't healed like I was hoping it was. I had to reassess that it would take a little longer. You always think you can bounce back quicker than you do."
Ethier, who lives and rehabs in the Phoenix area, was in the Dodgers' clubhouse at Chase Field on Monday.
"He's playing catch, he's taking one-handed swings," said manager Dave Roberts. "He's doing a little bit of elliptical work. His body is in good shape. Once he gets the MRI or the scan this week, I think Thursday, we'll know how much more aggressive we can be. I think he's still got to do the progression of being a baseball player. As he is coming along, he's still a ways away."
The "progression of being a baseball player" means Ethier essentially will need a Spring Training and rehab stint, so once he is cleared for serious activity, he's likely to still need a month or more, making a return before the All-Star break virtually impossible.
"I think everybody's body heals differently," said Roberts. "We had certain thoughts of when he would heal, but it's taken a little longer. Maybe Thursday we get the go-ahead, but as far as weight bearing on flat ground or running, not yet."