Dodgers backup catcher Dioner Navarro has strained muscle

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The MRI exam that backup catcher Dioner Navarro underwent revealed that he has a strained side muscle, Manager Don Mattingly said.

Mattingly said he hasn’t been given a timetable for Navarro’s return but guessed that he would miss about as much time as Jon Garland, who has a similar injury. Garland has been sidelined since March 9 and is expected to start the season on the disabled list.

With Navarro out, Hector Gimenez and A.J. Ellis are the two candidates to back up starter Rod Barajas. The hot-hitting Gimenez has a .289 batting average with three home runs and seven runs batted in this spring but has caught only 24 innings. Ellis is the lesser hitter, but considered a major-league level defender and game-caller.

-- Dylan Hernandez in Tucson