SS Jason Bartlett, placed on the 15-day DL Tuesday with a left ankle sprain, said he actually felt better when he woke up this morning.

But after an MRI today revealed a sprain, he was told that the best thing would to be rest it, or it could get worse. He says the hope is that it's a minimum DL stint, but acknowledged it was tough to sit out as the injuries are mounting, with his double-play partner, Akinori Iwamura, already out for the season with a torn ACL.

“Part of me wants to be selfish and just get out there and keep playing,” Bartlett said. “But if I do that I could make it worse and be out two-to-three months as opposed to a week or so.”

Maddon said Bartlett's absence will bring opportunities to others, but said they definitely need him back as quick as possible.

“It’s really unfortunate because this young man is having an All-Star season right now,” Maddon said. “There’s no getting around that, and that’s not made up by his manager, that’s pretty much what’s going on. All facets of his game have been spectacular. And we need him back quickly. … He was voted our team MVP last season for a reason, and he’s playing even better this year than last year, on all fronts.”

- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com