LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez left Thursday night's game against the San Francisco Giants with what the team described as a mildly strained left hamstring.
The Dodgers called the move "precautionary," but it raises some concern because Ramirez was out from May 4 to June 4 with a strained left hamstring. Ramirez is batting .342 with 18 home runs and 53 RBIs. He missed most of April after undergoing surgery to repair a tendon in his right thumb.
The Dodgers are zeroing in on their first division title in four years, and their turnaround -- they were 12 games under .500 on June 21 -- has been sparked largely by the hitting of Ramirez and rookie Yasiel Puig.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said it's unlikely Ramirez will play Friday but that he is hopeful another prolonged injury can be avoided. He noticed Ramirez running slowly to first base on a fifth-inning groundout and decided to pull him.
"I think he's OK," Mattingly said. "He gets tight during games and he always says he's fine. It's just one of those where I was feeling like we couldn't take the risk right there with him."
Ramirez declined to speak with reporters as he left the Dodgers' clubhouse following the team's 3-2, 10th-inning win.