CINCINNATI -- Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Jon Garland, who hadn't been on the disabled list in 11 years until this spring, is expected to be placed there for the second time this season with a right-shoulder injury on Saturday, a move that was planned for Friday but then scrapped when right-hander Vicente Padilla experienced neck pain while playing catch before the game.
Padilla had been slated to be activated from the 15-day disabled list, where he had been since May 19 because of irritation to his right radial nerve, to take Garland's roster spot, but then he suffered a recurrence of the injury that landed him on the DL for 19 days last August and September, meaning the Dodgers will have to promote a pitcher from the minor leagues before Saturday's game with the Reds.
Right-handers John Ely and Luis Vasquez currently are the only pitchers on the Dodgers' 40-man roster who aren't either in the major leagues or on the major or minor league disabled list. Vasquez just came off the minor league DL and has never pitched above Class A.
Padilla said he felt some tightness in his neck during his two-game rehabilitation stint with advanced Class A Rancho Cucamonga.
"But I didn't imagine it would be this bad," he said, with Kenji Nimura interpreting. "I worked very hard, and this was the result."
Meanwhile, Mattingly said rookie right-hander Rubby De La Rosa will take Garland's spot in the starting rotation for now, meaning he will get the ball on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. De La Rosa was the organization's top pitching prospect when he was recalled from Double-A Chattanooga on May 24 and has since allowed a run on three hits over five innings during three relief appearances.
De La Rosa was a starter for the Lookouts, but he had been limited to 3 2/3 and two innings in his final two starts before the call-up as part of a standard program the Dodgers use with their top pitching prospects to limit their innings in hopes of preventing injuries. De La Rosa's last start of any length was a seven-inning effort for the Lookouts on May 10, but Mattingly said he doesn't expect De La Rosa to be on any pitch-count limit in Philadelphia.
However, Mattingly said De La Rosa won't be available out of the bullpen for the Dodgers on Saturday, when he is expected to throw a side session in preparation for the start.
As for Garland, Mattingly said he has experienced pain in his shoulder during each of his past two starts, even though Garland has pitched reasonably well in those, giving up a total of four runs and 10 hits over 12 1/3 innings.
Garland isn't with the team on its current trip. There is no timetable for his return.
"It'll be based on how he recovers,'' Mattingly said.
Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com.