The Opener: O’Hoppe, Dodgers, Reds, Padres

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day:

1. O’Hoppe exits:

The Angels were dealt a tough blow during their win over the Athletics last night when catcher Logan O’Hoppe was struck by a warmup backswing off the bat of A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson. Wilson’s warmup swing hit O’Hoppe under the face mask, and he immediately fell to the ground in pain before exiting the game shortly thereafter. After the game, interim manager Ray Montgomery told reporters (including Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com) that O’Hoppe was “doing OK” but added that the club was putting him through testing and the concussion protocol. It’s certainly possible that O’Hoppe will require a trip to the 7-day injured list for concussion-related symptoms, and if he does Travis d’Arnaud will take over regular duties behind the plate. Sebastian Rivero, Zach Humphreys, and Chad Wallach are all in Triple-A as potential depth options, though none of them are on the 40-man roster.

2. Dodgers roster moves incoming:

Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts said yesterday that the team expects to welcome both third baseman Max Muncy and southpaw Alex Vesia back from the injured list today (via The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya). Both have been on the mend from oblique strains. Their returns come at an opportune time for the Dodgers, as the team has been scuffling in recent weeks and currently sits just one game up on the Padres in the NL West. Muncy has only appeared in 89 games this year but has been quite productive when healthy, evidenced by a .258/.389/.491 slash line. Vesia, meanwhile, has been one of the team’s more reliable bullpen arms with a 2.75 ERA and a 33% strikeout rate across 59 appearances.

3. Series Preview: Reds @ Padres

The Reds kept their faint postseason hopes alive over the weekend when they took the final two games of a three-game set against the Mets. Cincinnati still sits four games behind New York and six games back of a San Diego club currently in possession of the second NL Wild Card spot. The Reds head to Petco Park for a three-game set that’ll prove pivotal. A Reds sweep could thrust them right back into the mix, whereas a sweep in the other direction would be close to the end of the road for Cincinnati.

As already mentioned, the Padres are just one game back of the Dodgers in the NL West, making every game critical for manager Mike Shildt’s squad. The Reds will send lefty Nick Lodolo (3.22 ERA) to the mound opposite 39-year-old Padres vet Yu Darvish, who owns a 5.75 ERA in 11 starts this year (but a 4.11 over his past seven). Tuesday will pit an as-of-yet unannounced Padres starter against Reds righty Zack Littell (3.81 ERA), while the series finale on Wednesday will see Nick Pivetta (2.85 ERA) take on Andrew Abbott (2.88 ERA) in a duel between two of the NL’s more impressive pitchers.