4:06PM: The Dodgers officially placed Pollock on the 10-day injured list. Right-hander Mitch White was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.
TODAY, 1:15AM: Pollock has a Grade 2 strain, and will miss “two, three weeks at a bare minimum,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told The Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett and other reporters.
SEPTEMBER 4: Dodgers outfielder AJ Pollock left tonight’s game with what the team described as a right hamstring strain. Pollock hurt himself while trying to steal third base in the top of the first inning, as he was limping off the field following the play.
The fact that Pollock’s injury has already been diagnosed as a strain would seem to imply that he’ll require a trip to the injured list. The next step will be learning the severity, as anything more than a minor strain could potentially cause Pollock to miss most or even all of the Dodgers’ remaining regular-season games (and into the postseason). Pollock missed just shy of three weeks with a strain to his left hamstring earlier in the season.
Perhaps a little overshadowed by the many big names on the Dodgers’ roster, Pollock has rather quietly been a key cog in the L.A. lineup. He entered tonight’s game hitting .295/.351/.504 with 16 homers over 385 plate appearances, with plenty of hard contact backing up his 131 OPS+/wRC+. Playing mostly left field, Pollock has also been a solid defensive force, with +3 Defensive Runs Saved and +1 Outs Above Average (though the UZR/150 metric has a -2.0 score on his glovework).
Should Pollock indeed be heading back to the IL, Los Angeles can turn to a combination of Zach McKinstry, Billy McKinney, or (down at Triple-A) Matt Beaty to handle left field duty, or utilityman Chris Taylor could simply assume the everyday role. Taylor has already been seeing more regular work in center field, however, as the struggling Cody Bellinger hasn’t been playing against left-handed pitching. In short, the Dodgers’ depth will be tested yet again, which isn’t optimal for a team fighting hard with the Giants for first place in the NL West.
Thots and Players!
Bellinger needs to stop smoking so much weed
Got that right
Bellinger just smoking the wrong strains, he needs to lay of the GG#4, and switch to Nerdz, Runtz, zkittlez, something fruity and less potent with less couch lock qualities, then he will be able to catch up with the fastball again
Runtz is a banger. Man needs some simple Pineapple Express or trainwreck
This made me think of the t-shirts the fans sold outside the Giants Stadium that said “Let Timmy Smoke”
Great t-shirt that was succinct, short and sweet and got to the point.
Huh.
Sounds complicated, @ripper.
Or – & bear with me here – he could just quit blazing up. I would think with him being – ya know – a professional athlete this would probably be for the best. He’s not sitting on his couch playing video games, posting on the internet, & covered in Doritos crumbs.
Or whatever.
Something to think about.
It’s almost like, Ducky, it has nothing to do with him smoking and everything to do with shoulder surgery last year………
Apparently inability to cover the outer part of the plate doesn’t mean he is starting his swing too soon and he’s not strong enough to stop his swing, it only can mean he’s so high he couldn’t possibly reach the outside of the plate. How dumb are people here? That’s the only thing that passes through the brain? Jeez
True dude had shoulder surgery after WS it’s not like u just get back so easy it what Tatis could go thru
Whoa there, @McCourt.
Reign ’em in, bro. You are attributing some pretty big leaps in logic to me that I am decidedly *not* taking.
Bellinger is certainly not the first guy to struggle with a dissipation of power upon returning from shoulder surgery. David Justice comes to mind as a player who got his back in relatively short order. Jake Lamb – who has been all over the MLBTRR board lately – is an example of a guy who it looks like it may never return.
But.
Marijuana does slow reaction time.
Not much debate there. That is why a lot of jobs (truckers, building tradesman, pilots, etc) are not allowed to smoke weed.
My response was to, @Hippyripper who had lapsed into that specific code that the dedicated weed guys use. (“Runtz”? “Zkittlez”? Man. When I was in college the choice was “brown” or “green”.)
How Bellinger bounces back from his surgery is definitely the bigger story here.
That being acknowledged, I don’t really see ganja as being a viable piece of any type of a training regimen for a professional athlete.
I feel that sums up my take.
Now: if you are still inclined to lecture/insult me then go nuts. Have at it. (& let’s be 100 here. That was entirely your intention as you remain miffed that I – along with the overwhelming majority of baseball fans – have the audacity to question the validity of the Dodgers title.)
Just be accurate this time. Merci.
Too much dope usage = being a dope head AKA pretty useless. Where is the proof that CB uses dope? Never heard of this before!,
Okay Ducky. Hit me with an essay. You’re the one eating up borderline conspiracy theory ideas on why a former MVP is hitting 170 with a 170 BABIP. It must be that he’s super high! You didn’t even acknowledge the shoulder surgery until I called you out on it. Then you pretend to get offended when I call out the stupidity in your focus
And the beauty of you pouting is it doesn’t really matter what you or any other fan thinks. The flag flies forever. The 2020 Dodgers are the only champ in the last 50 years to have zero off days scheduled from round one until the World Series. They’re the only champion to have zero home fans or home field advantage in World Series history. And they were on pace for a 115 win season. What a fraud champ!
You can talk about “zero fans” or be like that crazy mets fan clinging to his “projections” or whatever else you want to proffer as evidence.
But the stark reality is, the season was a mere 60 games, bro. The other reality is, the vast majority of baseball fans question it for that very same reason. As do I. It is an enormous narrative.
You can keep being mad (& indeed pouting) at me about it, or you can cowboy up & move the eff on. Your efforts to dissuade me are having the exact opposite effect that you are trying to bring about. My guess is, I’m not the only one.
“Me thinks thou doth protest too much.”
Ya know?
Funny thing is you and I both know you defended LA’s title and the difficulty built into winning anything in 2020 before you decided you’d get more people on your side arguing this way
You must be really desperate for people to like you. Pretty sad to flip arguments just so others agree with you more, with nothing actually changing in the facts
Pretend you are Shakespeare all you want. You are as transparent as his ghost
I’ve actually changed my mind on it several times. Nothing at all to do with being “liked”.
Sometimes, it seems like a True Accomplishment in the face of Extreme Adversity. Yet, the fact it was a 60 game season is really tough to ignore. In a normal season, the 60 game mark is the end of black bear season. At 162 games it’s the zenith of bird & duck seasons. That’s just how the calendar works. & it’s tough for me to ignore.
Think what the standings looked like at the end of May/Early June this year. Ya know? You’re starting to sound like that nutty mets fan kid & all his “projections”.
Did the Dodgers win? Sure.
Is there a valid reason to view it askance? Yes.
Both are true.
He’s out for at least a couple of weeks, says Roberts.
Will Pollock ever be fully healthy for the life of his contract with the dodgers?
No – because he’s injured so seems a little unlikely.
Given that he’s opting out in 3 weeks, 2020 is the best you’re getting
I think he stays with the uncertainty of the CBA
Hahahahah what!? You think a left fielder with an 860 OPS can’t beat 2/15
Better yet, you think it would be better for him to wait till he’s 35 to try to be a free agent again? Zero chance he doesn’t opt out. Zero
Bellinger also needs to stop being so upright and leaving the outerhalf wide open (or as close to it with his looping swing)
Known fact, him and Bickford, love their weed, both probably high during games
Management would go along with that. Totally.
Pretty bad decision to try and steal 3rd with 2 outs. Even worse it results in a red hot player getting hurt. They have the players to get through it, but half the lineup is slumping.
Pollock has always played the game aggressively and that style has accounted for some of his injuries.
It wasn’t clear to me if he was injured on that awkward slide or if the awkward slide was due to the injury. Not that it really matters now.
Him trying to take 3rd in that spot? Stupidest decision I’ve seen in a while on this team. With how he’s hitting and where we are in the season and given the race, along with the game already being 3-0? Stupid. This is like Corey Seager getting hurt trying to steal 3rd stupid. Pollock is not 25 anymore. He’s not Trea or Mookie. He got excited watching them run and now he may be F’d till after the WC or 1st round. Just a dumb move
Trea is just built different. Iirc, he played the 2019 WS with a broken finger
What does “how he’s hitting and where we are in the season and given the race” have to do with anything? Players shouldn’t try to steal bases because of the possibility of injuries? The babying of players is really getting out of control
John because injuries are part of the game. Has nothing to do with babying. One must balance their competitive inclinations versus the potential risk. In this case, the upside was minimal (going from 2nd-3rd) in a game that was close to in hand versus the chance of another (yes he already had one this year) hamstring injury. Poor judgment. Not only he but the team suffers.
A steal attempt isn’t a high risk play. Let players play, you don’t need to micro analyze everything. Before the attempt I doubt anyone is saying it is risking injury. Classic case of being a captain hindsight
If it is a blowout in the late innings a winning team should probably just stand there and let the opposing team stronger them out. Can’t risk them getting hurt if they hit the ball and have to run to first. Heaven forbid they have to chance sliding into second
“ What does “how he’s hitting and where we are in the season and given the race” have to do with anything? ”
Wtf seriously!? You have to ask this?? They’re in a playoff race in September, playing for first place currently. Swaying between in 1st and a game back . He has been a top 3 offensive bat for LA all season. And his speed is nothing compared to his prime. These are all VERY good reasons to be happy with him in scoring position with 2 outs in the 1st inning
AJ pollock isn’t paid by LA to steal 3B. He is paid by la to hit the ball. He can’t do that on the IL
“ A steal attempt isn’t a high risk play”
When he has a history of hamstring injuries, and has already had one this year, it absolutely is a high risk play. Add in his value to the team is not stealing bases, it’s driving guys in from the 6 hole, and It was an idiotic, overly aggressive move that did not need to happen
“ If it is a blowout in the late innings a winning team should probably just stand there and let the opposing team stronger them out. Can’t risk them getting hurt if they hit the ball and have to run to first. Heaven forbid they have to chance sliding into second”
None of your BS analogies apply here
A steal attempt certainly is a high injury risk play and even higher for some. Part of the reason baseball players get hurt so much is that there are idle for so long and need to all of a sudden burst to top end speed. That’s a recipe for hamstring strains.
Some players who have a history of hamstring injuries it’s even worse and age makes it even worse, cue AJ Pollock and Justin Turner. When those guys are stealing or going from second to home or trying to beat out a grounder I cringe.
It is fine to say it was wrong tactically to try to steal in that situation but it has nothing to do with injury risk. You doing avoid a sb because of injury risk, that is what I was saying
Then you are boring. Let players play
If you do not think a stolen base is a high risk play, why do you think that play has nearly disappeared from the game?
Guys are still fast. It’s the same reward, 90 feet
It’s because teams realize the risk of straining or worse blowing out a hammy is not worth 20-90 feet’s in the course of the season for the vast majority of players. Same thing with breaking a finger. Call me what you want. The entire game is trending this way. Ask yourself. Why?
This is an old thread so I doubt anyone reads this but ill reply anyway.
SBs are disappearing from the game because it is arguably a bad move tactically. They argue that the chance to move up a bag isn’t worth the risk of being thrown out and most guys get thrown out at a rate that makes it a net loss. It is not an injury thing
My old man left me two letters telling me to open it when I find myself in a tight spot. When I did open the first letter, it just said “blame everything on me”. So I blamed the poor old man and worked like a charm. For my second tight spot, the second letter said “sit down and write two letters”.
Get it?
Your dad sounds like a jerk.
Pollock injury really sucks because his realy one of the best hitters for the dodgers when it comes to leftys on the mound.
You think there’s a chance for the dodgers bringing un miguel varges or Cristian Santana both righty bats with potential.
I haven’t done the math, but pollock was coming close to hitting his buyout PA requirement. Not sure if he got there.
He may have cost himself 5M trying to take 3rd.
Pollock may opt out of contract after 2021 season and receive $5M buyout with 1,000 PA in 2020-21 or 1,450 PA in 2019-21.
AB ‘s
2019 – 342
2020 – 210 (2.7)= 567
2021 – 386
Total – 953 (20-21) or 1,295 (19-21), if he doesn’t play anymore he missed it by 47 PA.
Are you sure? I’m seeing the opt-out coming after 2022.
A.J. Pollock cf
4 years/$55M (2019-22), plus 2023 option
4 years/$55M (2019-22), plus 2023 player option signed by LA Dodgers as a free agent 1/26/19
$12M signing bonus ($4M installments on 2/28/19, 5/1/19, 7/1/19)
19:$1M, 20:$12M, 21:$15M, 22:$10M, 23:$10M player option ($5M buyout)
2023 option increases $1M each for 400, 450, 500, 550, 600 plate appearances in 2022
2023 option increases $1M per point based on finish in 2019-22 MVP voting, with 5 points for first place, 3 points for second-fifth place, and 1 point for sixth-10th place
Pollock may opt out of contract after 2021 season and receive $5M buyout with 1,000 PA in 2020-21 or 1,450 PA in 2019-21
assignment bonus: $1.5M for each trade
Ya I’m sure. The 2023 season is an option.
If Roberts is right, and he is out three weeks, he would have to average around six plate appearances per game once he returns. Ain’t gonna happen, This injury will cost him many millions.
and Robert’s ain’t right, he always underestimates.
I don’t think he’s opting out to begin with –
He might be able to get more than the 2/23 left but LAD has treated him good and his worth will reflect a 450 ab guy not 600 to outside clubs so the potential is capped especially turning 34 and another inj….3rd in 3 years w Lad
If he try’s to leverage us for more Id shake his hand on the spot and wish him the best elsewhere … A lotta back taxes were baked into 21′, take or leave the 2/23 for me
Unless this is completely wrong, it seems he has no opt-out after the 2021 season as you said initially. It comes after 2022. For 2022 he’s locked in at $13M.
baseball-reference.com/players/p/polloaj01.shtml?u…
It isn’t Dave Roberts’ job to estimate, over or under.
spotrac.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/aj-pollock-106…
It isn’t “completely wrong”. It’s just incomplete. Everything it says on bref it says on spotrac above, but bref is missing his vesting option
If sdbaseball’s math is correct, he may have really paid for his brain fart
If he got the 5M buyout, he’d need to beat 2/18M to make it worthwhile. Even if his aav dropped slightly, like 3 years 8M, I’d wager he tries to go for the higher total guarantee.
Again, the alternative is to wait until after his age 35 season to be a FA. That has to be a factor..
Here is why you don’t need to feel sorry for Pollock. He’s only had one real season where he had more than 500 plate appearances. Only reason why he was close to achieving the requirements for the buyout is the 2020 season where the plate appearances are pro-rated for the 55/60 games Pollock played. Over the course of a full season do you really think he would have been healthy over a 162 game season? I’ll take the under on that all day. Is it confirmed that the PAs are pro-rated for 2020? Seems logical.
BMI = 27.7
Price down as well –
They need to get White and Jackson both on the plane for length in the STL series
Cant continue this bullpen usage
Beaty or Lux for AJ, I’m guessing they go Beaty
Bad baserunning cost them the game Friday, I assume a talk was had pregame thus the running like rabbits early; shame …. I like the aggression (we’ve lacked it) but cmon 2 outs and stealing 3rd??
I wouldn’t be surprised if they acquired a right hand hitting OF in the next day or so. He wouldn’t be eligible for the postseason but would help for the last 25 games.
Every comment about bellinger is right on. He swings with all upper body. Has a huge upper swing trying to hit everything into outer space. He just looks lost. So if we can all see this, why can’t he/they see it and make an adjustment? Look up the middle or opposite field. Roberts can’t let him be pollocks replacement for another 3 weeks.
Because watching someone play the game on TV is different than coaching them in reality? Just a theory, but until TV and reality become the same thing, I’m going with it.
There’s no way he’s ready before October. Jon Miller said he screamed prior to tag. That’s 4-6 weeks – hopefully not torn!
Agree, if he’s ok by November they’ll be lucky.
Great guy (he went to my high school), but he’s injury prone like crazy.
Bellinger should have been sent down 2 months ago or more. A fake injury and rehab games would have been a better option than his horrible MLB results.
And good on Mitch White. Hope he does well.
now all we got is Bellinger, please sit him, he’s toast and they have better
No sympathy! Your GM will just write anther check for another Cattle from the waiver wire! BTW, how has Ham and Egger Billy Mckinley ever lasted so long? You got Batty,the next great player, in the minors?
Their in first place with the best record in baseball (next to TB) how’s the team you root for doung?
My team, The Brewers are up by 11 games. and closing in on SF and LA! I am sorry for my perceived arrogance!
Milwaukee would be a 3rd place team in the NLW, maximum
Probably worse when you consider how many cheap wins they get from the NLC
Milwaukee is 23-9 vs the NL West.
Dodgers are 13-10 vs the NL Central.
CORRECTION: I am sorry for Mr Polluck, He is a good player. We all get hurt in Sports. I am not sorry for how the Dodgers replace players. Thank You!
How about spelling his last name correctly.
OOPS! Not sorry, SUPERFAN!
Oh great the gas can Mitch White coming back up.
Is Bellinger the worst player in major league baseball this season? I mean -1.5 WAR is getting to be impressively bad.