Cody Snavely
After a rough eight-game road trip, where the Dodgers dropped a three-game series to the Houston Astros, losing two of three, and then got swept in a mini two-game series against their National League West division rival, the San Diego Padres, who are inching closing in on the standings they returned home to face the National League-leading Phillies.
However, despite the injuries and inconsistencies with the offense, starting rotation, and bullpen, the Dodgers, after yesterday’s opening series win, are now only 0.5 games away from overtaking the Phillies for the best record in the National League.
But before that, we will discuss plenty of updates for the Boys in Blue in the latest Dodgers Notes.
Freeman returns to lineup; Biggio DFA’d
The Los Angeles Dodgers got a huge boost back to their lineup in the return of first baseman Freddie Freeman, who was activated off the Family Emergency list prior to Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Freeman left the team after his son Maximus was taken to the Hospital. At the same time, the Dodgers kicked off their eight-game road trip in Houston as his three-year-old son, Maximus, was hospitalized with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare and severe condition where the immune system attacks the nerves.
Prior to Freeman’s activation, the emotional Freeman spoke with the media, giving an update on his son, expressing his sadness and frustration at being a parent in that situation, and thanking all within the Dodgers organization for their thoughts and prayers.
Max is on his way to being better; It’s going to be a long road, but we’ve been told he’s going to make a full recovery. We’re just taking it day by day.
Freddie Freeman on his son Maximus’s recovery
The Dodgers faithful gave Freeman a much-deserved standing ovation prior to his first at-bat of the game. Freeman’s performance was commendable. He went one-for-four on the night, with the lone hit being a single in the third inning, a testament to his skill and dedication.
To make room for Freeman on the 26-man roster, the Dodgers DFA’d Cavan Biggio, who hit .192/.306/.329 in eighty-eight plate appearances but had a 121 wRC+ over his last fifteen games.
For more on Freeman’s return, updates on his son, and his postgame interview, make sure to check out Steve Webb’s articles and the Bleed Los Podcast on YouTube.
Betts & Dodgers eying August 12th return
As the summer calendar turns to August, the Dodgers will have many players returning from the injured list just in time for the second half of the season, and what better time, with less than fifty games left of the 2024 regular season?
One name that has missed a large chunk of the season was former National League Most Valuable Player frontrunner Mookie Betts. On Father’s Day, June 16th, he fractured his left hand after being hit by a 98mph fastball out of right-handed relief pitcher Dan Altavilla‘s hand.
As we approach the Dodgers’ near two-month absence, leadoff hitter Dave Roberts has given plenty of positive updates over the last few weeks.
A few weeks ago Betts began catch play which than accelerated to fielding drills, swinging a bat, taking tee work and now take live at bats and according to the team they are targeting a August 12th or 13th return.
Shohei Ohtani has held down the leadoff spot in Betts’ absence, hitting .307 with forty-seven hits, fifteen home runs, thirty-five RBIs, and thirty-three runs scored in forty games since June 17th.
However, at the shortstop position, it has been a revolving door. Miguel Rojas, the logical option to replace Betts in the meantime, saw his stats dip during an everyday role, hitting .182/.217/.273 in July. He also fell on the 10-day injured list with right forearm tightness.
Since then, the Dodgers have signed free-agent veteran shortstop Nick Ahmed, who was DFA’d by the San Francisco Giants at the beginning of July. Ahmed has hit .235/.257/.324 but ranks in the 93rd percentile in OAA.
The Dodgers also acquired Amed Rosario on the eve of the 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline. Still, the team views him as a platoon bat and not an everyday player despite his batting average being over .300. His defense is lackluster, ranking in the 2nd percentile in OAA.
Before Betts fractured his hand, he was showcasing his versatility and potentially on track to win his second Most Valuable Player Award. He was hitting .304/.405/.488 with a .892 OPS while seamlessly transitioning from right field to second base and then shortstop in a matter of weeks.
Injury updates
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ battle with the injury bug is well known, but like the update with Mookie Betts, the Dodgers expect multiple players to return in the coming days and weeks.
Right-handed pitcher Brusdar Graterol, who has missed the 2024 regular season until now, was officially activated off the 60-day injured list. However, right-handed pitcher Blake Treinen was placed on the 15-day injured list with left hip discomfort.
Graterol, 25, had a career year in 2023, posting a 1.20 ERA in 67.1 innings pitched, the lowest of his career. Graterol has also been a dependable arm for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts across his four seasons with the Dodgers. He has also made twenty-one appearances in the playoffs, pitching to a 1.71 ERA and 2.52 FIP.
Treinen, 36, had been enjoying a triumphant comeback campaign after missing most of the 2022 and 2023 seasons with a shoulder injury. In thirty-four appearances, the righty has pitched to a 2.67 ERA and a 2.81 SIERA. His fastball velocity is down about three miles per hour, but his 30.6% strikeout rate is the highest it’s been since his All-Star season in 2018.
Graterol’s return is surprising because Roberts indicated that of the three relief pitchers on a rehab assignment, Michael Grove, Ryan Brasier, and Graterol, Grove would return first.
Speaking of Grove, he is the next pitcher due to be activated off the injured list after a lengthy rehab. In six appearances, he pitched 5.1 innings, posting a 3.38 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and seven strikeouts.
Once Grove is activated, he will revert to the team’s multi-inning relief pitcher role, a role once held by left-handed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough before he was DFA’d and traded to the Blue Jays.
Another bullpen arm inching his way back to a return is right-handed pitcher Ryan Brasier, who has also been on a minor league rehab assignment. In four appearances, Brasier has not allowed a run and has a 0.50 WHIP with seven strikeouts.
Brasier, 36, was a pivotal contributor to the Dodgers bullpen during the 2023 season, posting a 0.70 ERA across thirty-eight innings once acquired by the team after being DFA’d by the Boston Red Sox last season.
While the righty has missed most of the 2024 regular season due to a strained calf suffered in April, his return will be a major boost to a Dodgers bullpen that has been one of the best in the National League. Since Brasier is on the 60-day injured list, a 40-man move must be made before his activation.
Perhaps the most significant breakthrough on the injury front has been with third baseman Max Muncy, who has been out since mid-May due to an oblique injury.
Muncy has been alternating between resuming baseball activities and shutting them down completely. However, after a visit to a chiropractor, Muncy has felt the best in months and has finally started swinging a bat and resuming fielding work.
Yesterday, Muncy took some swings off a high-velocity pitching machine, came out feeling good, and could begin a minor-league rehab assignment as soon as this weekend.
Third base has been a roller-coaster ride this season since he went down, and they have gotten little production from Enrique Hernandez, Cavan Biggio, and Chris Taylor.
Miguel Rojas, who has been out since the series finale against the Boston Red Sox after being removed for an arm injury—right forearm tightness—was seen taking live at-bats and stated he’s ready to go when the Dodgers decide to activate the veteran shortstop.
Despite Dave Roberts stating that Rojas would not need a rehab assignment before returning after taking live at-bats yesterday, Rojas was announced to be appearing in a game with the Dodgers’ Single-A affiliate, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, on Tuesday.
Tommy Edman, who was acquired by the Dodgers in a three-team trade at the deadline, has yet to restart his rehab assignment with the Dodgers. However, he was seen fielding and taking batting practice on the Dodgers’ road trip in San Diego, and he could hopefully begin his rehab assignment in Los Angeles and rejoin the team before August is over.
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