CINCINNATI -- After having an MRI exam taken on Monday, the Marlins are now able to rule out any Achilles damage to Justin Bour. That was encouraging news, but there still is concern because the left-handed-hitting first baseman remains bothered by a high right ankle sprain.
Manager Don Mattingly said on Tuesday that Bour is being shut down a few days from any baseball activities, which makes a return date closer to mid-September.
"I guess the good news was, the Achilles is not really going to be an issue," Mattingly said. "There is no damage in the Achilles. It's more that the high ankle sprain has not completely healed yet. That's causing inflammation."
Bour last played on July 2, and the Marlins are missing his power, especially with Giancarlo Stanton also possibily done for the rest of the season. Bour has 15 homers and 46 RBIs, while Stanton paces the team with 25 homers and 70 RBIs.
With Bour out, Derek Dietrich and Chris Johnson are splitting time at first base, with Miguel Rojas being more of a defensive replacement.
Bour was examined by a foot specialist in Miami on Monday, and the MRI was taken.
"As much as anything, I guess that's good and bad," Mattingly said. "It's good that there are no issues, structurally. And, then, the high ankle sprain has not completely healed. That's really what's causing him the issue. We've got to continue to let him heal. Until that heals, it's hard to move forward.
"We've backed off for a few days here. I'm not sure how long that's going to be, but right now, he's kind of stopped from doing anything and let this thing kind of continue to heal, and we go from there."
Worth noting
All-Star closer A.J. Ramos, eligible to come off the disabled list on Sunday, is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday. The right-hander is with the club in Cincinnati, and he is on target to be reinstated over the weekend at Pittsburgh.

Ramos, who has converted 32 of 34 save opportunities, last pitched on Aug. 5 at Colorado. The righty is out with a fracture to his third finger on his throwing hand.
"Compared to what I was pitching with in Colorado, it's night and day better," Ramos said. "It's a broken bone. Fifteen days is not going to heal it. I can't do anything worse to it. It will be all right."