A.J. Ellis will bat second Thursday against the Brewers.

This is the first time he has batted any higher than fifth this season. Matt Kemp (hamstring) is headed for another extended absence, so the Dodgers will need to find ways to create runs. Ellis is fourth in the majors with a .430 on-base percentage, so moving him up in the order is a pretty good way to do that.

After James Loney was intentionally walked, A.J. Ellis hit a walkoff homer in the bottom of the ninth Saturday, giving the Dodgers a 6-3 win over the Astros.

It was a day for walkoffs. The intentional walk tonight was understandable, in that it set up a double play and it gave the Astros a righty-righty matchup. Ellis, though, made them pay, showing surprising pop once again. He has five homers in 120 at-bats this season. Last year, he had four in 269 at-bats between Triple-A and the majors. In 2010, he went homerless in 204 at-bats between Triple-A and the majors.

A.J. Ellis homered, drew a walk and scored a pair of runs in Wednesday's blowout loss to the Diamondbacks.

The bomb was already Ellis' fourth in 35 games. He entered 2012 with just two home runs in 216 career at-bats. Ellis went deep only 19 times in 2,119 minor-league plate appearances. One of the majors' biggest surprises this season, Ellis has easily been the 30-14 Dodgers' third most important offensive player, and is now batting a cool .327/.449/.513.

A.J. Ellis was 2-for-4 with two RBI, a walk and a run scored Thursday against the Padres.

Ellis had an RBI single in the seventh and drove in another run with a groundout in the ninth. The 31-year-old has now reached base in 26 consecutive games and owns a surprising .333/.466/.505 batting line over his first 30 games this season. He's unlikely to hit for much power, but he makes for a fine second catcher in mixed leagues.

A.J. Ellis went 2-for-4 in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to Arizona.

Ellis has hit safely in six of his past seven games, with four multi-hit performances during this span. His .322/.455/.500 is surprising only to those who did not follow his minor league career. He's certainly a sell-high candidate with such gaudy numbers. But a .300/.400/.475 season certainly looks doable.

A.J. Ellis is leading the majors with an average of 4.84 pitches seen per plate appearances.

It's not completely out of left field, as Ellis sports a .406 career OBP in the minors, walking 336 times versus 283 strikeouts. He also boasts a career .382 OBP over 323 major league plate appearances. That said, his current .306 batting mark and .449 OBP aren't going to last, and he's never showed much power anywhere. He figures to be a poor choice as a second catcher in mixed formats before all is said and done.

A.J. Ellis went 2-for-3 with a homer and two walks Saturday against the Padres.

We wonder if it's even crossed Don Mattingly's mind that he might have the wrong Ellis batting second for his team. A.J. is 3-for-9 with four walks already, while Mark is 3-for-14 with one walk.

In his first start after being recalled Tuesday, A.J. Ellis went 2-for-4 with a homer Wednesday.

Ellis hit his first career homer in his 169th at-bat. The show of power will likely prove to be an isolated incident, but Ellis will get five weeks to show that he belongs in the Dodgers' 2012 plans. That makes him a decent enough No. 2 catcher in NL-only leagues.

Dodgers recalled C A.J. Ellis from Triple-A Albuquerque.

He'll take the place of Dioner Navarro on the active roster. Ellis, 30, is batting .222 (10-for-45) with the Dodgers this season. He will function as the primary backup to Rod Barajas behind the plate.

Dodgers optioned C A.J. Ellis to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Ellis is 10-for-45 in two different stays with the Dodgers this season. With Rod Barajas cleared to return from the disabled list, he was no longer needed.

Dodgers recalled C A.J. Ellis from Triple-A Albuquerque.

Ellis was 4-for-15 with two RBI in an earlier stint with the Dodgers. He'll back up Dioner Navarro while Rod Barajas is on the DL.

Dodgers optioned C A.J. Ellis to Triple-A Albuquerque.

With Dioner Navarro now healthy, the Dodgers had no reason to continue carrying Ellis. He went 4-for-15 with two RBI and four walks during his time in the bigs.

Dodgers recalled C A.J. Ellis from Triple-A Albuquerque.

Ellis was sent down to the minors when the team acquired Rod Barajas, but he's back now that rosters have expanded. The 29-year-old catcher is batting .174 in 69 at-bats with the Dodgers this season.

With Rod Barajas added to the roster, the Dodgers will send down A.J. Ellis Tuesday, manager Joe Torre said.

Ellis has hit just .174 in 69 at-bats this season for the Dodgers. He will not be missed.

Dodgers recalled C A.J. Ellis from Triple-A Albuquerque.

Ellis will give the Dodgers depth at catcher while Russell Martin's hip injury is sorted out. The 29-year-old Ellis is not a fantasy option.

Dodgers optioned C A.J. Ellis to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Brad Ausmus has returned from the disabled list, so Ellis is no longer needed as a backup on the big league level. He hit .204/.286/.224 with one extra-base hit and eight RBI in 49 at-bats for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are likely to send down A.J. Ellis to make room for another outfielder.

Ellis is the odd-man out now that Brad Ausmus is back from the disabled list. The Dodgers haven't settled on who will be called up from Triple-A Albuquerque, but Jay Gibbons is the most likely candidate. The 33-year-old outfielder is batting .322/.348/.563 with 15 homers and 66 RBI for the Isotopes. He hasn't played in the major leagues since 2007 as a member of the Orioles. His callup would likely be temporary, as Reed Johnson is expected to return from the disabled list this weekend.

A.J. Ellis lifted the Dodgers to a 5-4 victory over the Braves with an RBI single in the 11th inning on Sunday afternoon.

Getting the start at catcher, Ellis singled in fellow backstop Russell Martin, who'd pinch-hit earlier in the inning and reached on a walk, with a base hit to left. The victory was made possible by six scoreless innings from the Dodger bullpen.

Dodgers recalled C A.J. Ellis from Triple-A Albuquerque.

He'll fill in for Brad Ausmus, who went on the 15-day disabled list with a pinched nerve in his back. He'll spell Russell Martin on occasion, but by and large, this is a move for depth.