There’s still not much going on in the world of the Los Angeles Dodgers as far as player news goes, but there are some things going on in the organization.
In the only player update, Cody Bellinger underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair his dislocated right shoulder. He popped out his shoulder celebrating a home run by bashing arms with Kiké Hernandez in Game 7 of the NLCS. The surgery was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. He is expected to miss 10 weeks, but should be back to being able to compete by Spring Training. Bellinger took to Instagram to report in after the surgery, saying “shoulder is feeling great the surgery went great” and that he’ll be ready for Spring Training.
The Dodgers were the latest team to implement organizational-wide layoffs. The team avoided them earlier in the year by having a tiered scale of salary reductions. The highest paid personnel took the brunt of the loss of pay to help the organization retain all of its employees.
This week it was announced that the Dodgers were no longer able to sustain this model. The Dodgers issued the following statement:
“While the Dodgers had a championship season, the organization has not been immune from the widespread economic devastation caused by the coronavirus.
“Since March, we have worked hard to minimize the impact on our employees. The ongoing economic crisis, however, forces us to make difficult personnel decisions throughout the organization, going forward for the 2021 season. This is a heartbreaking decision. This year, more than ever, we are truly grateful for the role each member of our Dodgers family plays in our success.”
The minor leagues have also not been immune to loss of wages, games, and employees. The whole minor league season was scrapped due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Changes to the Dodgers’ minor league system might also be coming. Today rumors surfaced that the Dodgers will no longer be affiliated with the Great Lake Loons and Ogden Raptors. They may instead have a High-A team in Spokane, Washington. The official announcement will be made in early December.
On Thursday, the Dodgers, along with the Dodgers Foundation and Smart & Final, hosted their 16th annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway at Dodger Stadium. 1,500 holiday meals were distributed to not-for-profit organizations to be further distributed to families in need across the greater Los Angeles area. Turkey and fixings were also provided to pre-selected students in the Dodgers’ “Community of Schools,” which is a strategic community partnership to improve the education and wellness of students trending schools and living in the areas surrounding Dodger Stadium.