Dodgers give Corey Seager day off, hope he’ll play rest of weekend

Reporting from San Diego â€”  Corey Seager wanted to play Friday against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. He had sat out five games because of a strained hamstring before playing Thursday against the Angels, and hoped to stay in the lineup on back-to-back days.

Manager Dave Roberts took the decision out of Seager’s hands.

“I talked to him last night, and he said he felt good,� Roberts said. “I told him he was going to be down today. He wasn’t happy about it.�

The team plans to play Seager on Saturday. The Dodgers do not want to aggravated Seager’s hamstring issue, which occurred on a swing during a game against the Colorado Rockies on June 23.

With Seager on the bench, Enrique Hernandez started at shortstop.

Clayton Kershaw may forgo All-Star game start

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon has not contacted Roberts about Maddon’s choice to start the All-Star game July 11 in Miami.

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw has never started in the Midsummer Classic before, but he may not be available for the assignment. Kershaw is set up to start on the Sunday before the game, which would make him unable to pitch only two days later.

Roberts indicated he has not spoken to Kershaw about the situation. But he believes Kershaw would prefer to start for the Dodgers on that Sunday.

“It’s definitely a conversation that needs to be had, but make no mistake, his priority, and ours, is the Dodgers,� Roberts said.

Short hops

Ike Davis, a first baseman with triple-A Oklahoma City, threw a bullpen session Friday as the organization mulls converting him into a pitcher. The Dodgers considered selecting Davis as a pitcher in 2008 draft — he was selected 18th overall by the New York Mets. Davis was a left-handed closer for Arizona State, and threw two innings in a mopup situation for Oakland in 2015. His fastball velocity was clocked at 87.6 mph, according to FanGraphs. The Dodgers have also experimented with using outfielder Brett Eibner, another two-way player in college, as a pitcher this season. The Dodgers have pressed pause on Eibner’s progress as a pitcher because he has developed a sore arm, Roberts said.

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