Alex Castellanos called up to replace injured Matt Kemp

Alex Castellanos is being called up from triple-A Albuquerque to replace Matt Kemp, who is expected to be placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday. The impending move was confirmed by multiple people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it won’t be made official until later in the day.

[3:40 p.m. update – The Dodgers confirmed Thursday afternoon that Kemp was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain and that Castellanos was called up from triple-A Albuquerque.]

Kemp reinjured his left hamstring scoring from first base on a first-inning double by Andre Ethier in Wednesday’s 6-3 loss to Atlanta. Kemp was playing in only his second game back from the disabled list.

A similar injury sidelined Castellanos for a month. Castellanos returned to the Albuquerque lineup on Saturday.

Castellanos, 25, was acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinalslast year in exchange for veteran shortstop Rafael Furcal.

Castellanos was hitting .379 with five home runs and 14 runs batted in in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He has primarily played second base this season but has also started in left field and in right.

He was in the Dodgers’ major league camp during spring training and hit .375 with two home runs and four RBIs.

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