Dodgers Rumors

Max Muncy Expects To Miss Around Six Weeks With Bone Bruise

By Anthony Franco | July 3, 2025 at 7:02pm CDT

The Dodgers placed Max Muncy on the 10-day injured list this evening, an inevitability after he was helped off the field following an ugly left knee injury yesterday. He has been diagnosed with a bone bruise and tells Sonja Chen of MLB.com that he expects to be out for roughly six weeks. Imaging did not reveal any structural damage.

All things considered, this is probably a positive development. Muncy’s knee appeared to snap back awkwardly when he was injured in a collision with White Sox outfielder Michael A. Taylor. Taylor was attempting to steal third base and unintentionally dove directly into Muncy’s knee as the infielder stretched to apply the tag. Muncy was in a lot of pain and gingerly walked off the field with assistance from trainers. It raised initial fears about potential season-ending ligament damage.

Those proved unfounded, though the bone bruise will keep him on the shelf into the middle or end of August. Muncy has been on a tear for the past couple months. After hitting .194 over the season’s first month, he has raked at a .282/.410/.546 clip with 12 home runs since the beginning of May. That shut down any speculation that the Dodgers would trade for a third baseman. A season-ending injury might have changed that calculus, but it’s unlikely they’d alter their deadline plans when they expect Muncy back for the stretch run.

Miguel Rojas gets the first start at third base tonight, drawing into the nine hole against Sox righty Aaron Civale. Manager Dave Roberts told media (including David Vassegh of 570 AM) that Tommy Edman will begin taking third base drills. Rojas, Edman and Enrique Hernández will rotate through the hot corner, allowing the Dodgers to use Hyeseong Kim more frequently at second base. They also claimed CJ Alexander off waivers from the Yankees to add corner infield depth at Triple-A.

Dodgers Claim CJ Alexander, Designate Steward Berroa For Assignment

By Darragh McDonald | July 3, 2025 at 5:15pm CDT

The Dodgers have claimed infielder CJ Alexander off waivers from the Yankees, according to an announcement from the latter club. The Yanks designated him for assignment earlier this week. To open a 40-man spot for Alexander, the Dodgers have designated outfielder Steward Berroa for assignment, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

Alexander, 28, has limited big league experience. Between the Royals and Athletics, he has appeared in 10 big league games and stepped to the plate 25 times with a .160/.160/.160 line, produced with four singles and no walks.

His minor league track record is naturally greater in both quantity and quality. Last year, he slashed .302/.361/.559 in 411 Triple-A plate appearances, split between the Royals’ and Athletics’ systems. That production translated to a wRC+ of 130.

This year, his offense has dipped a bit. He started the year with Triple-A Las Vegas and hit .252/.348/.509 in 42 games, but that actually led to a wRC+ of 98 in the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League. The A’s put him on waivers at the beginning of June and the Yankees claimed him. In 13 games for the RailRiders, he had a .196/.302/.196 line, which pushed him to the waiver wire yet again.

The Dodgers presumably feel there’s a path to getting him back closer to his 2024 form, or perhaps just somewhere in between last year’s production and this year’s. He has a bit of defensive versatility, capable of playing the four corner spots.

Third baseman Max Muncy appeared to injure himself last night and may end up on the injured list. That could push Hyeseong Kim into a more regular role. The Dodgers came into today with four position players on optional assignment: catcher Hunter Feduccia and outfielders Esteury Ruiz, James Outman and Berroa. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported earlier today that Ruiz would be joining the team, presumably to take Muncy’s roster spot. Grabbing Alexander gives the Dodgers an optionable infielder who could be called upon if their infield group takes another hit.

Berroa, 26, was acquired from the Blue Jays in a cash deal in May. He has since put up a huge .330/.424/.433 slash line in 27 Triple-A games, though aided by a .403 batting average on balls in play in that sample, stealing 11 bases along the way.

Dating back to the start of 2023, he has a combined .268/.367/.401 line and 110 wRC+ in 955 minor league plate appearances. He has also stolen 101 bases in that time while playing all three outfield spots. He made his major league debut with the Jays last year, hitting .189/.333/.216 in 45 plate appearances.

He now heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Dodgers could take as long as five days to explore trade talks. The last time Berroa was in DFA limbo, the Dodgers gave up some cash to skip the waiver line. He has been in good form since then, so it seems like he has a decent chance of getting scooped up in the coming days.

Photo courtesy of Neville E. Guard, Imagn Images

Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

By Darragh McDonald | July 2, 2025 at 3:40pm CDT

Kevin Pillar is hanging up his Superman cape. On an appearance on Foul Territory, he announced that he is retiring from playing. He was with the Rangers earlier this year but was released about a month ago.

Pillar, now 36, was able to engineer an incredible zero-to-hero career. The Blue Jays drafted him in the 32nd round of the 2011 draft. But despite that humble beginning, he would not only make it to the big leagues but he would stick around for more than a decade.

His best asset was his defense, as he quickly earned a reputation for making highlight-reel catches, often diving horizontally in a way that earned him his Superman nickname. He got some limited big league time in 2013 and 2014 before fully cementing himself as a big leaguer in 2015.

That year, he got into 159 games for the Jays, producing a batting line of .278/.314/.399. His 94 wRC+ indicated he was 6% below league average at the plate, but that was more than adequate to pair with his other attributes. He stole 25 bases and received strong grades for his glovework, leading FanGraphs to credit him with 3.7 wins above replacement. That played a big role in getting the Jays to the postseason for the first time since 1993. Though the club was eventually felled by the Royals in the ALCS, the Jays got José Bautista’s legendary bat flip game along the way.

That would ultimately prove to be an apex for Pillar. He never again stole more than 15 bases nor topped a 90 wRC+ in a full season. But he still proved to be a useful player in generally the same shape, with his speed and defense making up for some subpar offense. From 2016 to 2018, he got into 442 games for the Jays, slashing .258/.296/.401 for an 86 wRC+ and producing 4.5 fWAR.

By the time the 2019 season had rolled around, Pillar was 30 years old and the Jays were rebuilding. Early that year, he was flipped to the Giants, which started the journeyman period of his career. Over the next few years, he would bounce to the Red Sox, Rockies, Mets, Dodgers, Braves, White Sox, Angels and Rangers. Though he had moved into his 30s, his performance was roughly the same as before, though with his glovework naturally slipping a bit. Over those 2019-25 seasons, he played 544 games and hit .246/.284/.415 for an 85 wRC+ and produced 2.4 fWAR.

Most recently, he had a stint with the Rangers but hit just .209/.209/.256 in 20 games before getting designated for assignment and released. He had flirted with retirement before but now seems to have decided that it’s time to hang up the spikes.

Any 32nd-round pick making it to the big leagues is exceedingly rare. In fact, the draft was shortened to 20 rounds a few years ago, so it likely won’t happen again. Pillar not only made it, but he got into 1,234 games over 13 seasons. He racked up 1,053 hits, including 114 home runs. He was credited with 10.8 WAR from FanGraphs and 16.1 from Baseball Reference. He earned about $25MM in his career, according to Baseball Reference. We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Pillar on an impressive career and wish him the best with whatever comes next.

Dodgers Designate Luis Garcia For Assignment

By Nick Deeds | June 29, 2025 at 11:05am CDT

The Dodgers announced today that they’ve designated right-hander Luis Garcia for assignment. His spot on the active roster will go to right-hander Noah Davis, who has been recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Garcia’s 40-man roster spot was used to activate right-hander Edgardo Henriquez from the 60-day injured list, though he was optioned to Triple-A rather than added to the big league roster.

Garcia, 38, is in his 13th season as a big leaguer. He’s pitched for the Phillies, Angels, Rangers, Cardinals, Padres, Red Sox, and now Dodgers across his lengthy career, though he’s never spent a significant amount of time as a high leverage reliever with just 15 total saves across his 573 career appearances. Taken together, Garcia has been just about league average over the course of his career with a 4.20 ERA (98 ERA+) with a 3.97 FIP. He’s taken a step backwards in recent seasons, however, with a 4.62 ERA in 146 innings of work with a 4.06 FIP.

Zooming in on just this year, Garcia’s time with the Dodgers has been uneven. His 5.27 ERA in 27 1/3 innings this year has certainly been lackluster, and his peripherals are a mixed bag. His 19.0% strikeout rate is lackluster, especially when compared to his elevated 12.7% walk rate. With that being said, it does seem as though there’s some poor fortune baked in. His .388 BABIP allowed is extremely elevated, and a 54.1% ground ball rate suggests his relatively low home run rate should be able to remain static. Garcia has a 3.54 FIP and 4.24 SIERA, which when taken together suggest he hasn’t been all that different from his usual self. The Dodgers will have one week to either trade Garcia or attempt to pass him through waivers, though he has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency.

Garcia’s spot on the active roster will go to Davis, who had a 7.71 ERA in 51 1/3 innings with the Rockies across parts of three seasons with the club. He signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox over the offseason and was traded to the Dodgers just before Opening Day. He’s made four appearances for the Dodgers since then and has surrendered four runs (three earned) in 4 2/3 innings of work after walking two and hitting three batters to go with five strikeouts. His 40-man roster spot is set to go to Henriquez, who had been rehabbing at Triple-A. Henriquez made his big league debut last year and posted a 2.70 ERA and five strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings of work. It would hardly be a shock to see Henriquez join the big league club at some point this year, though he’ll need more time to shake off the rust after posting a 6.75 ERA in 12 rehab innings at Triple-A this year.

Poll: NL MVP Race Check-In

By Nick Deeds | June 25, 2025 at 3:05pm CDT

While days off and postponements leave clubs around the league without a uniform number of games played, one of the games in this week’s slate will represent the halfway point in the season for every team across MLB. Who are the frontrunners to claim the MVP Award this offseason? MLBTR’s look at the American League saw Aaron Judge come away with 55% of the vote, and today we’ll be checking out the National League:

Shohei Ohtani

The reigning NL MVP hasn’t slowed down much after his 50-50 2024 campaign. Ohtani is slashing an incredible .289/.388/.627 (174 wRC+) through 78 games this year, with 27 home runs and 11 steals during that time. His status as a DH holds him back somewhat in terms of WAR, but he’s still second in the NL among hitters according to Fangraphs. He leads the league in homers and slugging percentage and clocks in within the top five in terms of on-base percentage. Ohtani’s expected numbers are quite good as well, as his .435 xwOBA is actually better than his wOBA and trails only Juan Soto among NL hitters. Of course, the real ace in the hole for Ohtani is the fact that he’s returning to pitching this year. He’s only thrown two innings so far, but his stuff has looked good in those abbreviated outings and he figures to only ramp up the volume as the season progresses.

Ohtani’s unicorn status as the only true two-way player in the sport will likely make him a frontrunner for the MVP Award every season until he either starts facing significant decline or retires from pitching. That said, he does not currently hold sole possession of the NL lead for fWAR even when combining his pitching and hitting numbers this year. His offensive numbers have not been quite as robust as they were last year, and he notably is not stealing bases anywhere near as frequently as he did when he was the second most valuable baserunner in the NL last season. For a player who’s won an MVP award in three of the last four seasons, voter fatigue can be a consideration as well; just ask Ohtani’s former teammate Mike Trout about the 2015 season. Will those potential weak spots be enough to let another player overcome him?

Pete Crow-Armstrong

The dynamic 23-year-old’s breakout has been one of the biggest stories in the entire sport this year. Despite entering the 2025 season as a career 82 wRC+ hitter across parts of two seasons in the majors, Crow-Armstrong has slashed .273/.310/.563 (140 wRC+) across 78 games. That’s a very low on-base percentage for an MVP candidate, but Crow-Armstrong makes up for that flaw by being elite in every other regard. He’s fifth in the NL with 21 home runs, his 24 stolen bases are second only to Oneil Cruz, and he’s one of the most valuable defenders in the entire sport with +10 Outs Above Average. Taken together, it’s enough to give Crow-Armstrong a 4.0 fWAR figure that leads the league among hitters, and is tied with Ohtani when the latter’s work on the mound is factored in.

For those less statistically inclined, the fact that his breakout has been key to the Cubs’ ascent from mediocrity to become one of the league’s heavyweights could hold value with voters who differentiate between the “most valuable” player in the league and the “best” player in the league. Even with all of that going for him, it’s hard to consider Crow-Armstrong the favorite. Ohtani’s star power and uniqueness as a two-way player is difficult to match, and if he’s able to pitch effectively throughout the second half, it will be very difficult for Crow-Armstrong to not fall behind on the WAR leaderboard. What’s more, advanced metrics are somewhat skeptical of his offensive performance this year, as his .356 xwOBA is 16 points lower than his actual wOBA of .372. Crow-Armstrong’s plate discipline issues go beyond his anemic walk rate; he swings more often than any qualified hitter in baseball but has a below-average contact rate both overall and more specifically on pitches within the strike zone.

James Wood

He’s lagging behind both Ohtani and Crow-Armstrong at this point, but Wood has been every bit the phenom the Nationals hoped he would be when acquiring him as part of the Juan Soto trade back in 2022. He’s hitting .281/.377/.561 (158 wRC+) in 80 games to go along with nine steals and solid defense in left field. His underlying offensive metrics are also immaculate, with top of the scale expected numbers, elite bat speed, and a 99th percentile barrel rate. It’s an exciting offensive performance, particularly from a player who’s just 22 years old. Some MVP voters could also hold the fact that Wood and his Nationals are not contenders against the budding young star.

Fernando Tatis Jr.

Tatis is a familiar face in the NL MVP race, as he finished fourth for the award in 2020 before coming in third the following year. Injuries, a PED suspension, and a move from shortstop to right field have all changed the way Tatis is viewed around the league in the years since. That hasn’t stopped him from remaining a force within the Padres lineup, and this year he’s been one of the better all-around players in the NL. He’s slashing .264/.352/.459 (129 wRC+) with 15 homers and 15 steals, and his defensive value is second only to Crow-Armstrong among NL outfielders. Tatis also benefits from strong underlying numbers; his .390 xwOBA is 37 points higher than his .353 wOBA, and if he can play closer to those expected numbers in the second half, he could push his way up to the top of some ballots.

Other Options

While Ohtani and Crow-Armstrong appear to be the clear frontrunners at this point, Wood and Tatis aren’t the only potential challengers. Corbin Carroll is in the midst of a sensational season and was right there in the mix with the top two until news a wrist fracture yesterday left it uncertain when he’ll take the field next. Trea Turner and Kyle Tucker have both been excellent and could find themselves more firmly in this conversation if things break right in the second half. Will Smith is one of the league’s top hitters this year with a 170 wRC+ made all the more impressive by his status as a regular catcher, but he’s only played in 63 games so far.

Juan Soto’s first half has been somewhat disappointing by his standards (147 wRC+), but he’s on an absolute tear right now and his .458 xwOBA is right in line with last year’s monster performance. Elly De La Cruz is flirting with pace for a 40-40 season but hasn’t been nearly as rangy at shortstop this season in the eyes of defensive metrics, which has weighed him down a bit. He could still easily emerge as a candidate with a big second half. Paul Skenes, Logan Webb, and Zack Wheeler are all in the midst of dominant seasons on the mound, but it’s somewhat rare for a pitcher to win the MVP award.

Who do you think will ultimately come out on top in NL MVP voting? Will Ohtani reign supreme once again, or could another challenger like Crow-Armstrong step up to claim the trophy? Have your say in the poll below:

NL West Notes: Carroll, Glasnow, Garcia, Freeland, Black

By Mark Polishuk | June 22, 2025 at 11:00pm CDT

Corbin Carroll has missed the Diamondbacks’ last four games due to a sore left hand, after the outfielder was hit by a pitch in Wednesday’s 8-1 loss to the Blue Jays. X-rays were negative and manager Torey Lovullo indicated today that Carroll’s hand was improving to some extent, but the skipper told MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert and other media that Carroll would undergo an MRI as an extra precaution. “Just because it’s not progressing as quickly as we wanted it to, and because of what we’ve just gone through with [Gabriel Moreno] and several of the injuries that we’ve been taking on, we want to definitely get a baseline,” Lovullo said.

In Moreno’s case, what apparently seemed like a minor hand injury ended up leading to a much longer expected absence, as a second MRI revealed a hairline fracture in the catcher’s right index figure. Such an outcome for Carroll would be devastating, as the young star has bounced back from a fairly ordinary 2024 campaign to hit .255/.341/.573 with 20 home runs in his first 323 plate appearances of 2025. Only 12 players in baseball have a higher wRC+ than Carroll’s 148, so naturally even losing him for a few days has been a hit to Arizona’s lineup. Losing Carroll to a more serious hand issue might well change the trajectory of the Diamondbacks’ season, as it would make it even harder for the Snakes to make up ground in both the crowded NL West or in the NL wild card picture.

MLB Issues Suspensions Related To Dodgers-Padres Incidents

By Anthony Franco | June 20, 2025 at 6:32pm CDT

Major League Baseball has announced suspensions related to last night’s benches-clearing incident between the Padres and Dodgers. San Diego closer Robert Suarez was suspended three games for “intentionally hitting” Shohei Ohtani with a pitch. Suarez, who was also hit with an undisclosed fine, has elected to appeal and remains on the roster during that process.

Additionally, both managers were suspended for one game for “unsportsmanlike conduct and for contributing to inciting the benches-clearing incident.” Managers do not get an appellate right, so Dave Roberts and Mike Shildt will both be unavailable tonight. The Dodgers are hosting the Nationals, while the Padres welcome the Royals to Petco Park. Roberts told Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic that bench coach Danny Lehmann will manage tonight’s game.

The suspensions are related but not all directly from the same sequence. The managers were suspended for their actions in the top of the ninth inning. Dodgers righty Jack Little, making his MLB debut, hit Fernando Tatis Jr. on his right hand with a 93 MPH fastball. It seems unlikely that Little intended to throw at Tatis, which is reflected in the league’s decision not to impose any discipline. (The Dodgers optioned Little back to Triple-A tonight.)

It was the second time that Tatis had been hit in the series, though. He’d also been hit with a pitch during these teams’ previous series one week before. The final beaning came at the end of a very tense four-game set. Dodger outfielder Andy Pages accused Dylan Cease of throwing at him on Monday. Tatis, Jose Iglesias and Ohtani were all plunked on Tuesday. Stephen Kolek drilled Pages again on Wednesday, and Lou Trivino had hit Bryce Johnson with a cutter earlier in Thursday’s game.

Shildt raced out of the dugout to check on Tatis after Little had plunked him. San Diego’s skipper had some choice words for the Dodger dugout along the way. That prompted Roberts to come onto the field. He got into Shildt’s face and bumped him, leading both dugouts to empty. Both managers were ejected. Tatis was removed from the game as an injury precaution. Little stayed in to finish the inning. The Padres had some trepidation about Tatis’ initial imaging results, but he’s fortunately back in the lineup tonight.

Suarez then came out of the bullpen for the bottom of the ninth. He hit Ohtani on the right shoulder with a 100 MPH fastball on a 3-0 count. That probably would’ve caused benches to clear again had Ohtani not quickly signaled to the L.A. dugout not to do so. Suarez and acting manager Brian Esposito were tossed by home plate umpire Marvin Hudson. San Diego’s closer told reporters tonight through an interpreter that he did not intend to hit Ohtani (video provided by 97.3 The Fan). MLB disagreed and imposed the ban.

Dodgers Acquire Zach Penrod From Red Sox, Transfer Roki Sasaki To 60-Day IL

By Steve Adams | June 20, 2025 at 2:50pm CDT

2:50pm: The Dodgers have made it official, announcing that they acquired Penrod in exchange for cash considerations. Right-hander Roki Sasaki has been transferred to the 60-day injured list as the corresponding active roster move. Sasaki has been on the IL since mid-May due to a shoulder impingement. He can be reinstated 60 days from that initial IL placement, which would be mid-July. He was recently shut down from throwing and has an uncertain timeline.

1:37pm: The Dodgers and Red Sox have agreed to a trade that’ll send left-hander Zach Penrod from Boston to Los Angeles, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. The Sox designated Penrod for assignment earlier this week in the wake of the Rafael Devers blockbuster, as they were acquiring two 40-man players (Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison) and only trading away one.

Penrod, 28, is an interesting story. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Rangers in 2018 and pitched briefly in their system before being cut loose during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He then spent three years pitching in the independent Pioneer League before catching the eyes of Red Sox scouts and returning to affiliated ball.

A nice minor league showing across multiple levels in 2024 pushed Penrod up onto the 40-man roster. He tossed 62 2/3 frames across three levels and logged a 4.16 ERA with a huge 34.8% strikeout rate but a similarly hefty 12.4% walk rate. The Sox summoned him to the majors in the season’s second half, and he pitched four innings down the stretch, holding opponents to a run on three hits and four walks with three strikeouts.

Penrod was in the mix for a bullpen spot heading into the 2025 season, but an elbow injury in spring training knocked him out for nearly three months. He returned to the mound in late May and has pitched 7 1/3 minor league innings. It’s been a mixed bag. He’s allowed four runs and only seven hits while punching out nine of 36 batters (25%). However, he’s also issued seven walks, plunked a batter and tossed three wild pitches.

Command has never been a particularly strong suit, but it’s also understandable if there’s some rust after he was initially diagnosed with elbow inflammation in late February and didn’t get back onto a mound in a game setting until May 24. Penrod’s 95 mph average fastball this year is a match for his 2024 mark, and he’s posted a huge 15% swinging-strike rate after logging a even more-impressive 16.6% mark in that regard during last year’s minor league run.

Penrod will give the Dodgers a hard-throwing lefty with clear bat-missing ability and, as critically, a full slate of three minor league option years remaining. Los Angeles churns through the final few spots of its bullpen as much as — if not more than — any other team in the sport, so flexible arms with Penrod’s general skill set are always going to be somewhat appealing to the Dodgers.

Dodgers Select Jack Little

By Anthony Franco | June 19, 2025 at 6:59pm CDT

The Dodgers announced they’ve selected reliever Jack Little onto the MLB roster. They optioned Emmet Sheehan to Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move. Tony Gonsolin was transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot. Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register first observed that Little was in the clubhouse, while Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic noted that Sheehan was heading out.

Little gets his first big league call after five-plus seasons in the minor leagues. The 6’4″ righty has been a pure reliever dating back to his college days at Stanford. The Dodgers drafted him in the fifth round in 2019. Little has never been a high-end prospect but has posted solid numbers in the upper minors. He combined for a 3.79 ERA over 57 innings between the top two levels a year ago.

The 27-year-old Little has spent all of this year in OKC, allowing only 2.20 earned runs per nine across 32 2/3 frames. He’s 10-11 in save chances and has fanned a slightly above-average 24.3% of batters faced. He averages 94 MPH on his fastball while mixing in a slider and changeup. Little is an extreme fly-ball pitcher, but he’s done well at avoiding home runs in the minors. He has the sixth-lowest ERA among the 84 pitchers with 30+ innings in the Pacific Coast League this year.

Sheehan heads to OKC one day after being activated from the 60-day IL following Tommy John rehab. He pitched pretty well in his return last night, striking out six while working four innings of one-run ball against San Diego. The Dodgers evidently preferred a fresh arm in their bullpen rather than keeping Sheehan in the rotation in the short term. He’ll need to spend at least 15 days in the minor leagues unless he’s recalled to replace a pitcher going on the injured list.

Gonsolin’s move to the 60-day IL is even more notable. He went on the shelf on June 7 with elbow discomfort. The Dodgers announced that initial imaging didn’t reveal any UCL damage. While they haven’t provided any indication that has changed, they’ve already ruled him out for at least two months. Gonsolin has made seven starts this season in his return from an August ’23 Tommy John surgery. The 60-day clock backdates to his initial IL placement, but that still rules him out into the first week of August at the earliest.

Latest On Dodgers’ Outfield Alignment

By Anthony Franco | June 18, 2025 at 11:31pm CDT

The Dodgers started Hyeseong Kim in center field tonight against San Diego right-hander Stephen Kolek. Kim was flanked in the corners by Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernández, leaving Michael Conforto out of the lineup. Manager Dave Roberts said pregame that he’s unsure whether the lefty-hitting Conforto will get a start against rookie righty Ryan Bergert in tomorrow’s series finale (relayed by Sonja Chen of MLB.com).

Roberts didn’t frame it as a benching, saying he envisions Conforto “playing a lot still.” At the same time, the veteran skipper acknowledged that Kim has earned the opportunity for regular playing time. Kim is a natural middle infielder, but the Dodgers have Mookie Betts and Tommy Edman playing at those spots. That leaves center field as the clearest position for Kim to get consistent at-bats.

Signed to a three-year offseason deal out of Korea, the 26-year-old Kim began his Dodger tenure on optional assignment. Los Angeles called him up in early May. Kim was expected to work as a multi-positional player off the bench. He has thrived in his first look at MLB pitching, running a .382/.425/.544 batting line through his first 30 big league contests. He’s obviously not going to continue hitting that well, but he’s putting the ball in play at an above-average rate and has gone 6-6 on stolen base attempts.

Pages is playing at an All-Star level, while Hernández remains a middle-of-the-order bat. Getting Kim regular outfield work will come at the expense of Conforto, who is hitting .168/.305/.277 in his first season as a Dodger. He has hit below the Mendoza line in each month. Kim’s ability to play up the middle also allows the Dodgers to use Pages in left field. He’d otherwise need to play center when Conforto is in left.

It’s clearly not what the Dodgers envisioned when they signed Conforto to a surprising $17MM free agent deal. It was a fairly sizable bet on his strong finish to the 2024 campaign while with the Giants. He’d been up-and-down through the season’s first couple months before posting an OPS above .840 in both August and September. An injury to any of L.A.’s outfielders or a slump from Kim could reopen everyday work for Conforto, but he may lose some playing time in the short term as they ride the hot hand.

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