SAN DIEGO >> Paco Rodriguez has a bone spur in his left elbow that will eventually require surgery, the Dodgers pitcher said Friday. However, Rodriguez has been so encouraged by his improvement over the last two weeks, he believes he can postpone the procedure until the season is over.

“I dodged a bullet,” Rodriguez said.

Throwing off a mound Friday for the second time since he went on the disabled list March 30, Rodriguez said his velocity returned to normal. He didn’t have a radar gun trained on his pitches, but Rodriguez said “I feel like I’m actually letting go of the ball. The arm strength is there.”

Velocity was the chief concern when the Dodgers ordered an MRI scan on Rodriguez’s elbow. It had been decreasing slowly but steadily since the 24-year-old pitcher entered the league as a rookie in 2012, fueling speculation about a torn ligament.

However, the MRI revealed no structural damage had taken place the past three years. Rodriguez had been pitching through the bone spur and, with enough rest, he believes he’ll be able to continue doing so until the end of the season.

Beyond giving his arm a break, Rodriguez said his time on the DL allowed him to “try to grow scar tissue around the area” of the bone spur.

“Right now it’s going good,” Rodriguez said. “The rest was huge.”

Before he goes out on a minor-league rehab assignment, Rodriguez said he’ll throw to live hitters in games at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.

Olivera up to Triple-A

Hector Olivera was promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City after six games at Double-A Tulsa.

Olivera, whose six-year, $62.5 million contract became official in May, was batting .318 at the time of his promotion. He also had three errors in the field – two at second base and one at third.

The promotion was not a surprise. Olivera is expected to join the major-league roster at some point this season and was going to need time at Triple-A before that.

With Howie Kendrick entrenched at second base and Justin Turner and Alex Guerrero manning third, how might Olivera fit in?

“If he can hit and do his thing then we’ll figure it out,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “Days off are good for guys. That’s all there is to it. It’s a long season. You see it, even with Howie getting those four days (off last week) … he wouldn’t admit that but it looks a little different.”

Olivera did not play in the Oklahoma City Dodgers’ victory over the Nashville Sounds.

Beachy nearing rehab

Brandon Beachy threw two innings Thursday at Camelback Ranch and could begin a minor-league rehab assignment Tuesday with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.

“It was the best he’s sounded about it,” Mattingly said.

Beachy has been on the 60-day disabled list since the season began as he recovers from his second Tommy John surgery, which was performed in April of last year. Once his rehab assignment begins, Beachy has 30 days before he can be added to the Dodgers’ roster.

There’s a work-around to that rule. If a player reports a setback (or is reported by his club to have a setback), he can shut the first 30-day window and open another at a later date.

Beachy is mindful of that window and has been cautious in scheduling any minor-league rehab games until he felt like a return to the majors was 30 days away. He’s expected to need the full 30 days.

Also

The Dodgers acquired 22-year-old infielder Ronald Torreyes from the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday and assigned him to Double-A Tulsa. Darwin Barney was designated for assignment to make room for Torreyes on the 40-man roster. Barney had been hitting .214 at Triple-A Oklahoma City and only appeared in two games with the Dodgers this season. Torreyes was playing for the New Hampshire FisherCats, the Blue Jays’ Double-A affiliate in the Eastern League, where he had just seven hits and four walks in 54 plate appearances. He began the season in the Houston Astros organization and batted .200 in 19 Triple-A games. … Joel Peralta is expected to throw an inning for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday, which would be his second in three days. Peralta is attempting to return from a pinched nerve that affected his right tricep. … Carl Crawford (oblique) has resumed swinging a bat at Camelback Ranch.