Hand numbness shuts down Beckett's rehab

LOS ANGELES -- Injured pitcher Josh Beckett has been experiencing tingling and numbness in the fingers in his right hand, so the Dodgers have shut down the right-hander's throwing program. He will have an MRI exam on Tuesday.

Beckett strained his left groin covering first base in his start on May 13 against the Nationals, and was placed on the disabled list the following day. At that time, the veteran starter and manager Don Mattingly alluded to other health issues Beckett had been dealing with, but they did not offer specifics.

Before Monday night's game against the Angels, Mattingly revealed Beckett has been dealing with tingling and numbness in his fingers "for a while."

"The groin has went good, and the arm has went bad," Mattingly said.

Beckett is 0-5 with a 5.19 ERA in eight starts.

While Beckett suffered a setback, left-hander Scott Elbert is getting closer to returning to the Dodgers' bullpen.

Elbert, rehabbing from a pair of offseason elbow operations, pitched on consecutive days over the weekend with Double-A Chattanooga for the first time since beginning his Minor League rehab assignment May 10.

Elbert will have two days off before he continues his rehab with Triple-A Albuquerque, likely his final stop before returning to the Major Leagues.

"He's moving this way," Mattingly said.