A.J. Ellis (oblique) was held out of the Dodgers' lineup again Saturday.

Ellis has resumed hitting activities and said he's "pleasantly surprised" with how much better his oblique feels. Tim Federowicz and Ramon Hernandez will continue to split time at catcher in his absence. The Dodgers are hoping Ellis can avoid a stint on the disabled list.

A.J. Ellis (oblique) is out of the Dodgers' lineup again Friday.

Ellis is currently dealing with some soreness in his left side. He had a similar issue during spring training which cleared up after a few days, so the Dodgers are hoping his absence will be brief. Ramon Hernandez is starting behind the plate Friday and batting cleanup.

A.J. Ellis could need a trip to the disabled list due to pain in his left side muscle.

The Dodgers aren't calling it an oblique strain, but that's surely what it is. Tim Federowicz has already been called up and could serve as the backup to Ramon Hernandez over the next few weeks. Ellis is batting .262/.364/.369 with two homers this season.

An X-ray on A.J. Ellis' left wrist came back negative.

Ellis was hit by a pitch on the wrist Sunday. He was able to remain in the game, though, and will be fine.

A.J. Ellis will have his left wrist examined after he was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning of Sunday's loss to the Cardinals.

Ellis stayed in the game, but will likely need to undergo an MRI before returning to action. It's been a rough two days for Ellis, who was involved in a home-plate collision on Saturday. He finished 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

A.J. Ellis doesn't expect to miss any time after he was involved in a home-plate collision with Jon Jay in the second inning of Friday's loss to the Cardinals.

Ellis remained in the game and says he isn't dealing any concussion-related symptoms. He plans to be in the lineup Saturday.

A.J. Ellis is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Brewers.

He'll get a breather with the early start time. Ramon Hernandez will start behind the plate.

A.J. Ellis finished 0-for-4 in the Dodgers' loss to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday night in Los Angeles.

Ellis is now batting .271/.381/.385 with two homers and nine RBI in 27 games. The on-base percentage is again fantastic, but he's a fringe option in mixed leagues.

A.J. Ellis smashed a grand slam home run off Jason Vargas on Friday, leading the Dodgers to a 9-8 victory over the Angels.

He finished the evening 2-for-4 with a those four RBI. Ellis has had a very impressive spring, hitting .356/.463/.489 with one homer and 9 RBI. He faded considerably in the second half of 2012, which could have been a result of adjusting to the increased workload of becoming the full-time catcher. Now that he knows what to expect, and in a much-improved lineup, Ellis could be primed for even better things in 2013.

A.J. Ellis went 2-for-3 with a run scored in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Cubs.

Ellis is now hitting .393 (11-for-28) with a 7/7 K/BB ratio in 14 games this spring. While the 31-year-old backstop came back down to Earth a bit after his hot start last season, he has established himself as a useful option in NL-only and two-catcher mixed leagues.

A.J. Ellis said he feels fully recovered from offseason knee surgery and has already been cleared to resume baseball activities.

Ellis is three months removed from an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee and expects to be ready for the start of spring training. He batted .270/.373/.414 with 13 home runs and 52 RBI in 133 games in his first full year as a starter and will be the Dodgers' regular catcher again in 2013.

Dodgers avoided arbitration with C A.J. Ellis by agreeing to a one-year, $2 million contract.

Ellis was arbitration-eligible for the first time as a Super 2 qualifier. The 31-year-old backstop hit a nice .270/.373/.414 with 13 homers for the Dodgers in 2012 and will be their regular catcher again in 2013.

A.J. Ellis underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Friday.

Ellis will be sidelined for the next six weeks but should have a fairly normal offseason and is sure to be back to full strength by the start of spring training next February. The 31-year-old catcher batted .270/.373/.414 with 13 home runs and 52 RBI in 133 games this season.

A.J. Ellis smacked a clutch two-run homer on Tuesday night, but it wasn't enough to defeat the Giants and keep the Dodgers' playoff hopes alive.

Ellis' two-run blast came courtesy of Guillermo Mota in the seventh inning and pulled the Dodgers to within one run. Unfortunately, that would be as close as they'd come. Ellis has had an impressive breakout season, hitting a very respectable .270/.373/.415 with 13 homers and 52 RBI in his first full year as the Dodgers starting backstop.

A.J. Ellis had two hits and two RBI as the Dodgers beat the Padres 8-4 on Thursday.

Ellis went 0-for-28 in a 10-game span from Sept. 11-22, but he's now driven in runs in three straight starts. In fact, he had the team's only RBI in Tuesday's loss to the Padres before sitting out Wednesday's game. Now that he seems to be finding his stroke, he should be the primary starter in the team's final six games.

A.J. Ellis is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Padres.

Ellis has really faded down the stretch, so Dodgers manager Don Mattingly is trying something a little different in order to jumpstart his non-existent offense. Matt Treanor will start behind the plate Wednesday while Nick Punto starts at second base in place of Mark Ellis.

A.J. Ellis (knee) is not in the Dodgers' lineup Saturday against the Mets.

Ellis underwent an MRI to his left knee Saturday, which showed no structural damage, and expects to be available for Sunday's series-finale with the Mets. Matt Treanor will get another start against righthander Miguel Batista.

A.J. Ellis went 3-for-4 and hit his seventh homer Saturday against the Diamondbacks.

Ellis is still getting on base, but the homer tonight was his first since June 3. He never showed much power in the minors, so there's a good chance the early season home run barrage was something of a fluke. Still, he's been a revelation for the Dodgers.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly expects A.J. Ellis (shin) to return to the starting lineup Friday.

Ellis bruised his left shin when he was hit by a pitch Monday night and used Thursday's game as an opportunity to rest. However, it's not a long-term concern.

A.J. Ellis hit a two-run homer in Sunday's loss to the Rockies.

Ellis' only hit of the afternoon came against Alex White in the seventh. In typical fashion, he also drew a walk. Although Ellis' six home runs and 25 RBI through Los Angeles' first 54 games aren't electrifying from a fantasy perspective, his .315/.430/.503 slash is one of the biggest surprises in baseball.