Dodgers rookie Brock Stewart sidelined because of shoulder soreness

Reporting from phoenix —  The Dodgers have shut down rookie pitcher Brock Stewart because of tendinitis in his right shoulder, which effectively ends Stewart’s long-shot chances of making the opening day roster.

Manager Dave Roberts learned of Stewart’s condition earlier this week. Stewart will not pick up a baseball for at least a week. When he resumes throwing, he will restart his throwing program from the beginning, which places him well behind his teammates this late in the spring.

“My understanding is it’s not serious,” Roberts said Sunday morning. “It’s just this thing where he got fatigued, and there was some soreness in his shoulder.”

The Dodgers were expected to option Stewart, a 25-year-old right-hander, to triple-A Oklahoma City to start the season. He was competing for rotation spots along with Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Alex Wood, Julio Urias and Ross Stripling.

Stewart posted a 5.79 earned-run average in seven big-league outings when he debuted last season, though a pair of disastrous starts to begin his career marred his statistics. He threw five scoreless innings against the Cubs in August. He also dominated in the minors, rising all the way from class-A Rancho Cucamonga. In nine triple-A starts, Stewart maintained a 9.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio with a 2.49 ERA.