Matt Kemp is dealing with some mental hurdles as his prepares for the season coming off shoulder surgery.

"I talked to Matt in the weight room and it's still, I think, in the back of his mind a little bit," Don Mattingly said. "He has to let it loose. The more at-bats he doesn't feel anything, the more he's fine the next day, then he can just go out and play.

"He talked about not feeling athletic. He's been rehabbing, really, since he had the hammy [hamstring issue last May] in a sense. He's been playing handicapped. He's ready to get to where he can just go play. That is a hurdle. When you're in rehab mode, it takes energy mentally. It will be nice when he can just come to the park and just play."

Entering Friday's spring action, Kemp was 0-for-8 with three strikeouts and a couple of fly outs to the warning track.