LOS ANGELES -- Cincinnati pitcher Jose Acevedo was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday after spraining his left ankle the previous night on a slip down the dugout steps at Dodger Stadium.

''That's a first for me,'' Reds trainer Mark Mann said.

Acevedo started Wednesday night's 2-1 loss to Los Angeles. He finished the third inning and returned to the dugout, where his spike got caught in the rubberized padding.

Acevedo missed the bottom step and landed awkwardly.

X-rays taken at the stadium were inconclusive and the team sent him back to Cincinnati to get an MRI exam -- the results of which showed no fracture.

''Any time you can avoid a broken bone that would take six weeks to come back from, anything shorter than that is obviously a plus,'' Mann said. ''The doctor saw him today and said 2-to-3 weeks -- more like three.''

No timetable has been set for Acevedo's return. He is to wear a walking boot for a week and use crutches, then begin strength and flexibility exercises.

The right-hander became the third Reds starter to go on the DL since Triple-A manager Dave Miley was summoned from Louisville to replace Bob Boone on July 28. It was only the fourth start this season for Acevedo, who is 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA since being promoted from Louisville on July 18.

''I'm glad it's not fractured because if it was, we're probably looking at a season-ending thing,'' Miley said. ''Now we're only looking at two to three weeks, so that's good news.''

Reliever Scott Sullivan was activated from the disabled list. He'd been out since July 18 because of tendinitis in his right shoulder.

Sullivan is 6-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 45 games. He's led the Reds in appearances in each of the previous five seasons.

John Bale will make his first major league start Friday night at San Diego. Aaron Harang will be called up from Louisville to start Saturday, and another pitcher will have to take Acevedo's spot.