Even though fans won’t see a flurry of roster additions compared to previous seasons, the Dodgers still made several moves on the first day teams were permitted to add two additional players.
To fill out their roster, the team added starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw an infielder Miguel Vargas.
Kershaw gets the start in series finale against the Mets in New York on Thursday afternoon.
Continue reading “Dodgers Make Several Moves as Rosters Expand to 28 Players”
As fast as the James Outman craze captured the hearts of Dodgers fans in early August, it quickly drifted into the sunset once some of the club’s more experienced players began getting healthy.
While you could probably say that Chris Taylor’s return had a direct impact on Outman’s demotion, the acquisition of the lefty-hitting Joey Gallo almost ensured that Outman probably won’t be recalled for the remainder of 2022.
Continue reading “Dodgers Prospect Watch: James Outman Still Shining at Triple-A Oklahoma City”
Although there hasn’t been much movement in the National League playoff race — at least from a Dodgers perspective — there could be a lot of news emerging as the calendar turns to September next week.
We’ve been discussing roster expansion for a while, and although there’s only room for one pitcher and one position player, the team could be jockeying a few roster spots to make room for some big-name players.
At the onset of the weekend, we heard that everything looks good for veteran Clayton Kershaw. The lefty threw a three-inning simulated appearance earlier in the week and is expected to toss a similar four-inning outing on Saturday in Miami.
If everything feels good afterwards, Kershaw could start on September 1 against the Mets in the series finale New York, as manager Dave Roberts indicated this week.
“It’s either the option of regular rest, which would be Thursday,” Roberts said. “Or an extra day, which would be Friday. We haven’t decided which yet, but it’s probably going to be one of those two.”
As it stands, it appears that Los Angeles could go with a six-man rotation the rest of the way, allowing the starting pitchers to stay fresh without shutting them down completely — as long as everyone’s health holds up.
Seemingly, the team could face a decision as to who would be the postseason starters between Kersh, Tony Gonsolin, Julio Urias, Dustin May, Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney by the time the playoffs roll around.
Typically, the Dodgers would bump one or two of the extra starters into the bullpen, but the relief corps might be in for some overcrowding of its own.
The last we heard, Blake Treinen continues to throw well in his rehab stint for Triple-A Oklahoma City. There have been a few whispers that the big righty could be activated as soon as September 2.
If Kershaw gets the 27th spot and a position player gets the 28th spot, that means that someone will either need to get placed on the injured list or bumped off the roster entirely to make room for Treinen. One of the first names that comes to mind is Phil Bickford, particularly for a stint on the IL.
In addition, Victor Gonzalez and Tommy Kahnle are progressing through rehab assignments of their own, but whether they have enough time to get up to speed before season’s end remains to be seen.
Roberts has been especially impressed with Gonzalez.
“He’s bouncing back, the stuff is good,” the skipper said. “Everything I’ve heard about Victor has been real positive.”
Until recently, the last week of August was a time when we’d anticipate a handful of prospects joining the major league team to get their feet wet and see how they react to playing at the highest possible level.
However, with the most recent roster rule changes, teams only expand to 28 players on September 1 through the end of the regular season, limiting teams significantly on their additions over previous seasons.
Continue reading “Dodgers Prospect Watch: Michael Busch Still Producing at Triple-A Oklahoma City”
The Dodgers took care of the Marlins on Sunday in a convincing 10-3 victory, securing the series sweep and maintaining an 18-game lead over the second-place Padres in the NL West.
Righty starter Ryan Pepiot was solid for Los Angeles in picking up his second career win, throwing six full innings while surrendering two earned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven.
Continue reading “Dodgers Sweep Marlins, Prepare for Rematch Against Brewers”
Although the Dodgers lead the entire MLB in team ERA, the club may be seeing some improvements over the next few weeks that could fine tune the rotation and bullpen.
As a matter of fact, the Los Angeles 2.86 team ERA is the only mark under 3.00 in the league. Their combined 2.71 ERA for starting pitchers is light years ahead of Houston’s second -place mark of 3.14, and their 3.08 team bullpen ERA is good enough for third in the majors.
Continue reading “Dodgers Roster: More Thoughts on a Revamped Pitching Staff”
Although the Dodgers could have secured a series victory against the Brewers with a win in Thursday’s finale, they came up on the short end of a 5-3 loss, resulting in a 2-2 series split.
Lefty Andrew Heaney got the start for Los Angeles, and although he looked good at times — as shown by his impressive 10 strikeouts — he was still unable to last through five full innings of work.
Continue reading “Dodgers Split Series with Brewers, Return Home to Face Marlins”
There wasn’t much to write home about for the Dodgers in Sunday’s road loss to the Royals.
Although lefty starter Tyler Anderson threw seven decent innings of three-run ball, the Los Angeles offense was non-existent in the 4-0 loss, generating just a double from Mookie Betts, a single from Chris Taylor and a handful of walks. The Dodgers’ first hit of the day didn’t come until Taylor’s single in the fifth.
Continue reading “Dodgers Fall to Royals in Weekend Series Finale”
While the Los Angeles starting rotation and bullpen will likely see many significant changes over the next six weeks, the position player portion of the roster could be relatively set.
Sure, there could be a few arguments made for the inclusion of someone like James Outman — or Miguel Vargas, who can play a little outfield — but unless someone goes extremely cold or another injury occurs, the outfielders on the roster right now may be the ones we see come October.
Continue reading “Dodgers Roster: How Will Outfield Shape Up for 2022 Postseason?”
Five years ago, a lot of us fans thought the closer role would have been obsolete by now. Sure, a lot of teams are starting to use their best relievers in different game spots, but we’re still seeing guys hold down the traditional closer roles where they throw only in the ninth inning with the game on the line, unless they haven’t seen action in several days.
Continue reading “Dodgers Roster: What Role Will Evan Phillips Play in 2022 Postseason?”
Think Blue Planning Committee 