Odubel Herrera says he doesn’t care about Sports Illustrated article calling him a ‘dog’ and a ‘clown’

Odubel Herrera said he did not read a Sports Illustrated article this week that quoted an anonymous scout who called the Phillies outfielder “a clown” and “a dog” who has hurt the Phillies more than he has helped them.

“I don’t really care what other people say,” Herrera said. “Everyone has his or her opinion. I try to focus on the positive stuff. Whenever there’s negative story about me, I seek for the positive.”

The article was posted Wednesday afternoon and the scout’s comments were edited a few hours later to remove an expletive along with the “clown” and “dog” label. SI said it regretted the error and said in a statement that the original version “mistakenly included language that may be considered inappropriate or offensive.”

Manager Gabe Kapler, who also said he did not read the article, said Herrera is misunderstood. The manager raved earlier this week about the way Herrera showed up to spring training and the work he did to stay busy during camp while he was down with a hamstring injury.

“He works really hard,” Kapler said when asked about the scout’s comments. “He’s learning how to work and to increase his volume of work. He’s learning how to be a focused, present athlete. It ebbs and flows as he develops. But there’s no shortage of care from Odubel and there’s no shortage of work. And there’s no shortage of willingness to dig in.”

Herrera went 1-for-4 on opening day with an RBI single in the fourth inning. He said “it’s great that the manager says positive things about me.” But more important, Herrera said, Kapler “takes the time to know me, so he can say those things.”

“My experience of Odubel is we’re all still learning him,” Kapler said. “He’s got a lot of work to do, but he’s consistently been up for the challenge and he’s never shied away from a tough conversation where we’ve raised the bar for him and asked a little bit more from him.”

Vince Velasquez will be used as a reliever before he makes his first start, on April 8. ... Tommy Hunter, on the injured list with a flexor strain in his right arm, will pitch Friday in a minor-league game in Clearwater, Fla. He could return, Kapler said, in the middle of April. ... Roman Quinn, on the IL with an oblique strain, is rehabbing in Clearwater and could return before Hunter. ... Jimmy Rollins will join the Phillies telecast as a color analyst for select games on NBC Sports Philadelphia. His first game will be April 22. ... Questlove, of Philly rap group The Roots, bounced his ceremonial first pitch, proving that he’s a drummer and not a pitcher. He opened a vegetarian cheesesteak stand at the park. ... The Phillies are off Friday before Nick Pivetta faces Braves righthander Bryse Wilson on Saturday afternoon.