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Joe Kelly Suspension Reduced On Appeal

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Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly has succeeded in appealing his eight-game suspension. The ban will now span five contests. Jared Carrabis of Barstool Sports first reported the news on Twitter, with Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com confirming that report (via Twitter).

Kelly was suspended after a well-publicized bench-clearing incident during a game with the Astros. He was deemed to have thrown in the area of the head of Houston third baseman Alex Bregman. The suspension also reflected Kelly’s taunting thereafter.

More recently, Kelly hit the injured list with inflammation in his right shoulder. He’ll still need to serve out his suspension once he’s ready for activation, though it seems possible the Dodgers will be able to manage the timing to blunt the impact of the ban.

Latest On Corey Seager

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Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager began the season on a marvelous pace, but a back problem forced him out of their game against the Giants on Aug. 7, and he hasn’t played since. Manager Dave Roberts issued an update on Seager on Tuesday, saying (via Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times) that the 26-year-old is amid a “slow progression.” While Seager has been able to swing, run and play catch this week, the Dodgers haven’t ruled out a stint on the injured list for the two-time All-Star and former National League Rookie of the Year.

Seager was a durable and highly effective part of the club from 2016-17, but Tommy John surgery limited him to 26 games the next season. He also spent time on the IL last year because of hamstring issues, though Seager did appear in 134 games. His production then was closer to very good than great, but Seager once again looked like one of the elite shortstops in the game this year prior to suffering this injury. Through 54 plate appearances in 2020, he has slashed .340/.389/.600 (176 wRC+) with three home runs.

As always, the Dodgers are loaded with depth – they’ve had the luxury of plugging in Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez at short of late – though they’re certainly a better team when Seager’s available. LA has won seven straight NL West titles, but at 11-7, it’s staring up at the Rockies right now and tied with the Padres, who have beaten the Dodgers in back-to-back days.

Dodgers Outright Terrance Gore

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The Dodgers have outrighted outfielder Terrance Gore, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register tweets. He had recently been designated for assignment.

Gore will remain in the Dodgers’ 60-man player pool. He will remain available to the team if and when there’s another opportunity at the MLB level.

In addition to potential fill-in duty, Gore could be a late-season or postseason option. He’s a fleet-footed, highly regarded fielder who hasn’t been allowed to swing the bat much at the MLB level. Gore has appeared in each of the past seven campaigns, logging forty stolen bases and just 77 plate appearances (including two this year with L.A.).

Dodgers Place Joe Kelly On Injured List

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The Dodgers announced that right-handed reliever Joe Kelly has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his right shoulder. No timeline for his return was provided. The Dodgers have recalled lefty Adam Kolarek in his place.

Kelly is still facing an eight-game suspension after throwing a fastball near Alex Bregman’s head and swapping verbal jabs with Carlos Correa, all of which eventually led to bench-clearing confrontation. He’s in the process of appealing the punishment, and a hearing on that front is set for today, tweets Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times.

The 32-year-old Kelly had a rough first season in L.A., pitching to a 4.56 ERA in 51 1/3 frames after inking a three-year, $25MM deal in the preceding offseason. He was hit hard in the playoffs as well. This year, he’s rattled off 6 1/3 shutout innings to begin the shortened campaign, although the five walks he’s yielded in that time are still a red flag. Kelly’s 97.1 mph average fastball in 2020 is still well above the league average, but it’s down about two miles per hour from its 2017 peak and down nearly a mile per hour off last year’s mark.

With Kelly out until at least next week, the Dodgers will lean move heavily on fellow righties Blake Treinen, Pedro Baez and Brusdar Graterol to set up for closer Kenley Jansen. Kolarek will give the club a fourth southpaw option to match up with opposing lineups, joining Caleb Ferguson, Scott Alexander and Jake McGee.

Seager Day-To-Day After Clean Back Scan

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  • Corey Seager had a back scan last night, but the results showed nothing to be concerned about, per MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick. The discomfort Seager has been feeling is not related to the back injury that he suffered during the 2017 playoffs, adds J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group. That’s very encouraging news for the Dodgers. Seager has started hot this season (.340/.389/.600) after a so-so season in 2019 dimmed his star (to some) just a bit. He’s day-to-day for now, with Chris Taylor captaining the infield in his stead.

Corey Seager Leaves Game Due To Lower Back Discomfort

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The latest on four notable players who left last night’s action due to potential injuries…

  • Corey Seager left the field during the third inning of the Dodgers’ 7-2 victory over the Giants due to what the club described as lower back discomfort.  As manager Dave Roberts told MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick and other reporters, Seager will evaluated and likely won’t be in Saturday’s lineup.  The shortstop suffered the injury the inning prior while diving for a ground-ball single off the bat of Chadwick Tromp, and was pulled an inning later after Seager was slow to cover second on the first out of the frame.  Seager has been one of baseball’s hottest hitters early in the 2020 campaign, batting .340/.389/.600 with three homers.
  • White Sox left-hander Aaron Bummer left during the seventh inning of Chicago’s 2-0 win over Cleveland due to left biceps soreness.  After tossing a pitch to Jose Ramirez, Bummer called the trainer to the mound and then departed the game.  Bummer “just felt what he thought was a cramp in his biceps,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria told the Chicago Tribune’s LaMond Pope and other reporters.  “Hopefully it’s no extended period of time but we are going to be careful with him.”  Bummer’s departure came after 1 2/3 innings of scoreless ball, which dropped his ERA down to 1.23 through 7 1/3 frames of total work this season.  The southpaw has quietly been a sturdy bullpen force since debuting in the 2017 season, which inspired the White Sox to sign Bummer to a five-year extension last February.
  • Both Nick Senzel and Pedro Strop left the Reds’ 8-3 victory over the Brewers with groin injuries.  Senzel departed the game before re-taking his position in center field in the bottom of the fourth inning, while Strop left four pitches into an eighth inning at-bat against Brock Holt.  Both players are day-to-day.  Senzel already missed a few games this season for precautionary reasons (he tested negative for COVID-19 after experiencing symptoms) and he has been plagued with injuries throughout his young career, so the Reds are surely hopeful he can avoid another trip to the injured list.  Strop has a 3.86 ERA through 2 1/3 innings in a Cincinnati uniform, after the veteran right-hander signed a one-year contract with the Reds last winter.

Poll: Big-Budget Long-Term Payrolls

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Looking at long-range payroll commitments, there’s a fairly sizable gap between the top-five spenders and the number six club (the Padres, at a total of $396MM). Here’s that top-five:

Rank Team Total
1 Angels $651.00
2 Yankees $612.00
3 Dodgers $533.36
4 Nationals $488.68
5 Phillies $488.50

That list isn’t remotely surprising. Some other deep-pocketed teams have pared back or simply not yet agreed to blockbuster extensions with existing stars. The handful of teams listed above have each recently agreed to monster contracts with one or more superstars.

Looking at a team’s future outlook involves quite a bit more than its contractual commitments. We’d want to consider controllable young talent, the prospect pool, and a wide variety of business factors in assessing which organization is best-situated for the long haul.

Here, though, we’ll just focus on the deals that are already locked in. First, I’ll re-list each of those five teams’ eexisting commitments. Then, you will vote for the one that you’d most prefer to have were you operating a large-budget franchise. (Click on the links to expand the image.)

The Angels feature two mid-prime superstars, including the greatest player of this generation.

The Yankees have an ace, a former MVP who could still return to his former glory, and a group of quality players.

The Dodgers had only limited future commitments until they struck a bold deal to keep one of the game’s best players.

The Nationals are all-in on high-grade rotation pieces.

The Phillies spent big to pluck high-end talent from division rivals.

Which is the best slate of contract commitments? (Poll link for app users; response order randomized.)

Dodgers Promote Zach McKinstry

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The Dodgers have promoted utilityman Zach McKinstry to the active roster, per a club announcement. He’ll take the roster spot of southpaw Victor Gonzalez, who was optioned down.

It’s quite an achievement for the 25-year-old McKinstry, who entered the professional ranks as a 33rd-round draft pick back in 2016. He’ll give the Dodgers yet another versatile position player to plug in as game situations warrant.

McKinstry obviously wasn’t seen as a significant prospect when he was selected out of Central Michigan, where he showed excellent contact ability and plate discipline but little in the way of power. That profile shifted last year, as he turned in a cumulative .300/.366/.516 batting line with 19 long balls over 479 plate appearances between the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

Latest On Mookie Betts

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6:23 pm: Betts’ finger has some swelling, but x-rays fortunately came back negative, manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including Ken Gurnick of MLB.com (Twitter links). He’s day-to-day.

5:41 pm: Mookie Betts was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning of this afternoon’s game against the Diamondbacks. The club since announced (Twitter link) that he is dealing with soreness in his left middle finger.

There’s no indication there’s particular cause for alarm, but it’s eye-opening whenever a player of Betts’ caliber leaves a game for health reasons. The superstar hasn’t played at quite his typical level to start his Dodger career, but there’s no questioning his importance to the organization both short and long term.

For now, the hope is surely that Betts will return to the field in short order. The Dodgers are in position to exercise all due caution given the strength of their roster. Edwin Ríos replaced Betts in the lineup today, perhaps indicating he’d be first in line for extra playing time should Betts need some time off.

Dodgers Activate Clayton Kershaw

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The Dodgers have officially activated LHP Clayton Kershaw ahead of today’s game, the team announced. Right-hander Mitch White has been optioned to create a spot on the active roster. Kershaw is set to take the mound for the Dodgers this afternoon against the Diamondbacks.

Kershaw will make his season debut after missing his scheduled Opening Day start due to back tightness. He’ll be a timely addition to the Dodgers’ rotation not long after Alex Wood was forced to the 10-day injured list with a shoulder issue.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner is entering his age-32 season and is coming off a 2019 campaign that saw his end-of-year ERA climb above 3.00 for the first time since his rookie year in 2008. It’s a testament to Kershaw’s sheer dominance throughout his prime, and we mustn’t forget that even a slightly lesser version of Kershaw is still one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Last year, he garnered an eighth-place Cy Young finish after notching 189 strikeouts in 178 1/3 innings of work. As alluded to, he finished with a 3.03 ERA (a career year for plenty of pitchers), and his 2.1 BB/9 was the highest it’s been since 2012.

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