SAN DIEGO -- Alex Dickerson's long and frustrating recovery from a bulging disk in his lower back has stalled once again.
Dickerson was slated to play an extended spring training game Saturday, but felt soreness in his upper back during a session in the batting cage beforehand. The soreness isn't in the same area as his injury, and the Padres are unsure if the two are related. Dickerson was temporarily shut down anyway.
"We've always said there's probably going to be some setbacks along the way recovering from the back thing," said Padres manager Andy Green. "It's disappointing, I'm sure, for him. ... Hopefully, it's not a long setback or big setback. It's in a different place; it's not what has been bothering him. So we're hoping it resolves here pretty quickly."
Dickerson's back flared up during the Padres' first full-squad workout in Spring Training. He returned to the field four weeks later and played one game before the injury popped up again.
Green has spoken regularly about the impact of Dickerson's absence on the Padres' lineup. In his rookie season last year, Dickerson batted .257 with a .788 OPS and 10 homers in 84 games.
"Backs are tenuous," Green said. "You frankly just don't know how somebody's going to respond. We're hopeful.
"From the beginning, I've said he's been a huge loss. He'd be hitting cleanup if he was here. Any team loses their guy in the four-hole, it affects them greatly, so we'd love to see him back and healthy. But right now, it's a day-by-day timetable."
Capps on the mend
In more positive injury news, righty reliever Carter Capps threw a clean inning at the Peoria complex Saturday. His velocity hasn't fully returned, but the Padres say he's on track.
Capps hasn't pitched since August 2015 and is nearly 15 months removed from Tommy John surgery. He was pulled from his rehab stint last month after struggling to hone his mechanics and command.