Cody Snavely
Happy Monday, Dodgers fans! Welcome back to another weekly edition of Dodgers Notes. As we enter this series, there is much to catch up on as the Dodgers wrap up their seven-game road trip and return home to kick off a three-game set with the Seattle Mariners.
Week recap (8/12/2024-8/18/2024)
Brewers Recap: To kick off their seven-game road trip, fresh off a series sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Dodgers flew to Milwaukee to face the National League Central-leading Brewers in a pivotal National League series with the top three teams so close in seeding.
The Dodgers, winners of three in a row, took the first two games in the series in large part due to the return of Mookie Betts, who made his presence known with back-to-back multi-hit games and a homerun.
However, the Dodgers would not win either of the final two games after right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty‘s shaky first inning and a bullpen blunder in the series finale. The Dodgers would settle for a series split but would win the season series over the Brewers, meaning if the two have the same record at season’s end, they will get the higher seed and hopefully avoid the wild card round.
- Game One: 5-2 W
- Game Two: 7-2, W
- Game Three: 5-4, L
- Game Four: 6-4, L
Cardinals Recap: After a series split in Milwaukee, the Dodgers continued their National League Central tour, this time for an Opening Day rematch with the St. Louis Cardinals. Things would go the same as the beginning series of the year, with the Dodgers dropping only one game in a rare Bobby Miller start due to the injury of Tyler Glasnow.
Clayton Kershaw, a key player for the Dodgers, continued his dominant form. He threw six scoreless innings in the rubber match, securing a close one-run victory for the Dodgers as they head home to finish a streak of thirteen games in thirteen days.
- Game One: 7-6, W
- Game Two: 5-2, L
- Game Three: 2-1, W
Injury Notes
The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been hit hard with the injury bug all season, are set to activate two key players off the 60-day injured list this week prior to the three-game set with the Seattle Mariners in Max Muncy and Tommy Edman.
Muncy, who has been out since mid-May with an oblique injury, has made exponential progress since a visit with a chiropractor in July. Since then, Muncy has ramped up his baseball activities with fielding work, running, and the final test of swinging a bat.
Tommy Edman, who was acquired in the three-team trade between the Dodgers, White Sox, and Cardinals, has missed the entire season until this point, rehabbing from offseason wrist surgery and a sore ankle.
Edman, a Gold Glove winner and super utilityman, will get most of his reps in center field when activated but can also play an elite middle infield, filling in at second or shortstop if needed.
Both Muncy and Edman have been on a rehab assignment in Triple-A OKC, with Muncy hitting .286/.375/.476 with a .851 OPS in twenty-one at-bats and Edman hitting .294/.478/.471 with a .949 OPS in seventeen at-bats.
Since both players were on the 60-day injured list, the Dodgers will need to make room on both the 40-man and 26-man rosters before they can rejoin the team. While they did clear one last week with Amed Rosario being DFA’d, his spot on the 40-man was filled with the activation of Ryan Brasier.
The Dodgers can take many routes here, but Nick Ahmed, the veteran shortstop who the Dodgers picked up via free agency when both Mookie Betts and Miguel Rojas were hurt, and there was no viable shortstop option on the team, seems like the first odd-man out and will likely get DFA’d.
After that, they’ll have to either transfer River Ryan to the 60-day injured list or DFA Kevin Kiermaier or Jason Heyward. However, with Freddie Freeman likely hitting the injured list due to his finger injury, that could clear a much-needed spot on the roster, too.
Speaking of Freddie Freeman, his finger injury is a lot worse than what was initially reported. The veteran first baseman was removed during the second game after jamming it on a fielding play. Freeman was unavailable in yesterday’s 2-1 win after not being able to grip a bat, and a stint on the 10-day injured list seems possible.
Tyler Glasnow, who missed his start for this Cardinals series, was placed on the 15-day injured list with elbow tendonitis, which at this point of the season is not a great injury you want to have.
However, the Dodgers had Glasnow get an MRI, which thankfully showed no structural damage. However, the team and their trainers did not feel comfortable with him making his start in St. Louis.
However, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated after yesterday’s game that, after the results, they expect Glasnow to rejoin the Dodgers rotation after the fifteen days are up.
In his place, the Dodgers have called up right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller, who, in his first start, went 4.2 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits. He will get at least one more turn in the starting rotation.
The team also has sent more players on rehab assignments, such as Chris Taylor, who has missed the last two weeks with a groin injury, and right-handed pitchers Connor Brogdon and Blake Treinen.
Right-handed pitcher Brusdar Graterol, who has missed almost the entire 2024 season due to a shoulder issue, debuted during the Philadelphia Phillies series last homestand before injuring his hamstring.
Despite Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’s initial report that it was likely a season-ending grade three hamstring, it was only a grade one, and Graterol has felt good enough that he could throw a bullpen this weekend.
The Summer of Gavin Lux continues
It has been quite the turnaround for former top prospect Gavin Lux this season. Entering the year, Lux was given the keys in back-to-back years to win the starting shortstop job for the club. However, in 2023, Lux tore his ACL/MCL and missed the entire season.
In 2024, with Mookie Betts transitioning to the Dodgers’ full-time second baseman, Lux was once again given the opportunity to shine. However, Lux’s defensive performance during the Cactus League play was a cause for concern. His defensive metrics were far from ideal, prompting the Dodgers to make a significant change by moving Betts to the shortstop position.
Offensively, Lux was a below-league-average hitter during the first half, posting a wRC+ of 60 along with a lackluster .213/.267/.295 slash line and a .562 OPS. However, since the start of the second half, Lux has been arguably the Dodgers’ best hitter.
Since the start after the all-star break, Lux is hitting a team-best .367/.431/.644 with a 1.076 OPS and a 198 wRC+. In July, Lux took a massive step forward, hitting .299/.385/.552, but in August, has taken it to another level, hitting .327/.383/.527 with a 156 wRC+.
This month plus of elite hitting has not only changed plans for the Dodgers’ roster construction but also sparked intrigue about the team’s future lineup. After the team acquired Amed Rosario from the Tampa Bay Rays, many thought a platoon for Lux would be in the cards, especially considering his poor performance against southpaws this season. However, Lux’s recent performance has raised questions about his potential influence on the team’s lineup, making fans and analysts eager to see the team’s future games.
Lux has been a serviceable defensive second baseman and has been putting up MVP numbers offensively since the start of the second half. The return of other players, such as Edman and Muncy, will help solidify the bottom third of the Dodgers’ order.
Ohtani closing in on 40/40
When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani to a massive 10-year $700 million contract, I don’t think many fans knew what to expect in his first season in Dodger Blue.
While we all saw the two-time American League Most Valuable Player dominate the league over the last three seasons on both sides of the ball, Ohtani will only be a full-time designated hitter this season, so how much value could he bring with just hitting bat?
Well, as we enter August, Ohtani’s value as just a designated hitter propelled him to potentially becoming the first full-time DH to win the MVP, and he’s doing it with his bat and his legs.
So far this season, Ohtani has led the league in many offensive categories and has a .920/.377/.613 slash line with a .990 OPS, 169 wRC+, and a WAR at 5.8 the 6th highest in Major League Baseball on FanGraphs.
However, Ohtani is closing in on a huge milestone: joining the 40/40 club. The left-handed hitter has thirty-nine home runs and thirty-seven stolen bases entering today.
If Ohtani achieves the feat, he’d be the first Dodgers player in franchise history to join the 40/40 club, which only includes five members in Major League Baseball history: Jose Canseco, 1988 Oakland Athletics; Barry Bonds, 1996 San Francisco Giants; Alex Rodriguez, 1998 Seattle Mariners; Alfonso Soriano, 2006 Washington Nationals; and last year, Ronald Acuña Jr., of the Atlanta Braves. Ohtani also has a chance to become the first 50/50 club member in baseball history.
FanGraphs has Ohtani projected to break his previous career high in home runs at forty-nine and finish with forty-four stolen bases. However, if Ohtani can heat up again, he should have no trouble smashing both those numbers, as he has hit a lackluster .204/.300/.540 in the second half.
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