While many fans of the Dodgers have been wondering about the potential contribution levels of players like Kristopher Negron and Tyler White, others have been anticipating a return to normalcy when Chris Taylor, David Freese and Enrique Hernandez eventually rejoin the squad.
Taylor, who fractured his left forearm after being hit by a pitch against Boston not long after the All-Star break, is believed to be healing slightly ahead of schedule. The initial prognosis was guesstimated to be about four to six weeks, which conceivably could have kept the 28-year-old out until the beginning of September.
“It’s good. It’s been a week, I think,” Taylor said in a radio interview about a week after sustaining the injury. “I feel like I’m recovering pretty quickly, it feels much better than it did a few days ago, so hopefully I’ll be back in a few weeks.”
After a disappointing start to his 2019 campaign, CT3 was tasked to replace regular shortstop Corey Seager when Seager suffered a hamstring injury in the latter weeks of the season’s first half. During that time, Taylor hit .380 with a 1.074 OPS over 24 games.
In theory, Hernandez’s injury could keep him off the roster longer than Taylor. Several days passed between the affliction and the point it was actually tested; but, once the MRI results were revealed, it became known that the super-utility man had officially sprained his wrist.
As with Taylor, due to the fragility of the area, wrist and forearm injuries are difficult to even guess a time frame for a return. Regardless, the team felt the need to cover themselves defensively up the middle, ultimately snagging Negron and Jedd Gyorko days before the 2019 trade deadline.
Gyorko, who hit double digit home runs in all six of his big league seasons, has suffered issues with both his back and calf during his time with the Cardinals this season. Last year, the 30-year-old West Virginia native hit 20 long balls, 21 doubles and 67 RBI to go along with his career-high .272 batting average.
With the glove, he can capably handle shortstop, second and third base.
The Dodgers haven’t put a gauge on Gyorko’s recovery time, but skipper Dave Roberts has anticipated the infielder would need at least 40-50 minor league AB just to get his timing back.
“I feel ready, my body feels good, just have to go out and get my timing back,” Gyorko said moments after being dealt to the Dodgers. “I’m not sure how long it’s going to take but hopefully not too long. I think a lot of it is just going to depend on how I feel, how things progress.”
Once again, Freese is dealing with hamstring problems. The most prudent approach for the Dodgers is to give the veteran as much time as he needs to recover, hoping he’ll be ready to contribute off the bench by the time the playoffs roll around in October.
Freese returned from the injured list on July 8 after experiencing soreness in his left hamstring and went back on the shelf 10 days later with more problems in the exact same area.
Lefty starter Hyun-Jin Ryu said he awoke on Thursday morning with soreness in his neck. He said it wasn’t serious, but he didn’t want to pitch with it and risk compromising his mechanics.
Manager Dave Roberts said Ryu is expected to miss only one start, so it’s sort of a summer break for Ryu, is expected to spearhead the postseason rotation for the Dodgers.
“It’s not a big deal,” said Roberts.
Righty swing man Ross Stripling remains on the shelf with biceps tendinitis, but is expected to make a rehab start during the upcoming week.
In other news, southpaw reliever Scott Alexander, who has been dealing with both thumb and forearm problems, west sent to the 60-day injured list on Friday to make room for Dustin May on the 40-man roster.
Think Blue Planning Committee 
Tyler White is absolute garbage. Not sure what they were thinking by batting him leadoff the other night.
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Matt Stairs without the home run power 🙂
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It’s going to be interesting to see how AF handles things when CT3, Kike and Freese are all healthy again since he will have six guys to cover what used to be covered by three. Gyorko, Negron and White all have a chance to become “indispensable” over the next few weeks. Otherwise they may find themselves dfa sometime in September.
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My gut says Gyorko will stick. No chance for White and Gyorko. I think they’ll wait as long as possible before they even think about bringing Freese back. Give him just enough work to make sure he’s primed for the playoffs.
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I think White is pretty much toast as soon as Jedd is ready to go. Negron will get a longer stint because Kike and Taylor no close to returning. They say Gyorko will get 50 plus at bats in the minors. I would like to see them get Sipp. He is on waivers and at this point a better option than some of the others who were waived this week.
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I kinda like what I’ve seen from Negron but I agree that he and White have very little chance of being around after the others come back. If Gyorko does stick, it will still be hard for him to make the playoff roster unless he has a spectacular two months. They have plenty of time to experiment for the next couple of months with the lead they have. Getting May and Gonsolin some time to pitch will help and seeing what Gyorko can contribute will also be valuable.
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I wonder about kike he hasn’t done as well as I expected this season. Maybe they are starting to run out of patience with him, with these new guys around, Kike will have to be a little more consistent, or he may be losing some playing time.
I’m bummed about Taylor the most, he was doing a lot better before the injury.
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Somehow Kike just seems like he’s part of the fabric of the team. It would be really weird without him here but he needs to get his act together. Assuming Lux is here next year, Kike won’t have any regular position and would be a bench player again. At that point, he can fill in so many places that his hitting isn’t quite as important as if he’s considered a regular.
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Jeff well said Kike is part of this team we can afford to carry his batting average but he still produces in HR&RBI’s and if we need someone to play any position other then catcher give him a call
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Do you think this Smith kid will stick? Fun times st Dodger stadium tonight! Will Buehler throw a shutout!!!!!
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No errors by the Dodger first baseman tonight! Just sayin!
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No kidding, I wonder why. Seager’s error was changed to a hit. So they had a flawless night in the field. If they do not do well with RISP and win the game, I am not too upset with the offense. If they leave a bunch of guys and lose, another story all together. Belli failed to get on base for one of the few times since the All Star break. Turner hit # 17. Earlier someone said they did not think JT would get to 20. That looks quite doable now. Joc and Muncy on the other hand are both in a HR drought. Joc’s last was on the 21st of July. Muncy has not hit one in a while. He has 2 in his last 15 games. Dodgers are 62-11 when they score 4 or more runs. Nice game by Buehler. Fun to watch. Margot hit his HR on a hanger right over the middle of the plate. One of the few bad pitches Buehler threw. Fans were all over Machado. Another sell out. Dodgers have a shot at 4,000,000 in attendance this year.
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There are 6 ads here on this thread showing me signs I’m about to die of a heart attack. WTF!! I’m beginning to believe it.
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Scoop do you mean your ankles aren’t supposed to look like that?
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One of those ads is too many. It’s as bad as the gut doctor ad. Somebody needs to tell that dude to lose the tourniquet socks.
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