Relievers staying in triple A for now

Dodgers have no timetable for Fields and Garcia, who are overcoming injuries.

League, he shifted his rehabilitation to triple-A Oklahoma City and threw a scoreless inning against the Iowa Cubs.

Yet Fields, who has been sidelined since June 26 with inflammation in his right shoulder, is still not ready to rejoin the team’s short-handed bullpen. Fields and Yimi Garcia (right forearm inflammation) pitched for Oklahoma City on Friday, but Roberts considers Garcia ahead of Fields.

“Josh is getting through it,” Roberts said. “But to say that he’s getting close, as in a week, I don’t see that happening. However many appearances he’s going to need going forward, to get him right, I can’t speak to that.”

Garcia has a 5.21 earnedrun average in 20 appearances this season, his first year back from elbow ligament replacement surgery. Fields owns a 2.36 ERA and could be part of the bridge to Kenley Jansen when the closer himself returns from the disabled list.

Jansen left the Dodgers before Saturday’s game against the Seattle Mariners to return to Los Angeles. He is scheduled to visit his cardiologist Monday morning for an examination of his heart. Jansen is hopeful he will be activated later in the week. Jansen himself did not rule out pitching Monday.

Until then the Dodgers are using the duo of Kenta Maeda and Scott Alexander to close games.

The pair will shift into the roles of setup men when Jansen returns. Fields could join that committee.

Roberts suggested both Fields and Garcia could benefit from a slate of games in the minors.

“There’s a pitching component, and there’s also a competition component, as well, with as long as both of those guys have been out,” Roberts said. “To compete at the triple-A level I think is a benefit for both those guys. Once they do come back to us, then the competition box has been checked off too.”