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MLB Places Julio Urias On Administrative Leave Following Arrest

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4:45pm: Urias has been placed on seven-day administrative leave, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). That’s standard procedure as the commissioner’s office gathers facts surrounding the incident, and it’s typical for that leave to be extended in multiple seven-day increments as the investigation is ongoing. Urias will be paid while on leave, though if he is ultimately punished in the form of a suspension under the league’s domestic violence policy, that pay and any service time accrued can be rescinded.

9:33am: Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias was arrested last night, according to a report from TMZ Sports. The 22-year-old was seen “arguing with a female companion” and allegedly “shoved her to the ground.”

Though the identity of the alleged victim is not known, Urias is said to have been arrested on suspicion of “misdemeanor domestic battery.” The report suggests that the victim denied any physical altercation, but that police made the arrest based upon eyewitness accounts and video evidence.

It’s obviously disturbing to learn of these allegations. Until more is known, it would be unwise to speculate on possible legal jeopardy or MLB punishment. The league has not yet announced anything regarding this matter, but it seems possible that it will be investigated under the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.

Rays Acquire Travis d’Arnaud

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6:26pm: This move is now official. Infielder Matt Duffy was shifted to the 60-day injured list to create 40-man space; the team will wait to make a corresponding active roster move.

6:03pm: The Rays have struck a deal with the Dodgers to acquire catcher Travis d’Arnaud, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Cash considerations will go to Los Angeles in return.

This represents the continuation of d’Arnaud’s already disjointed season. After working back to health in the wake of Tommy John surgery, he opened up as the Mets’ backup backstop but was dumped at a surprisingly early juncture.

The Dodgers signed the out-of-options d’Arnaud as a righty bench bat with designs on trying him at other positions, but instead pivoted quickly to today’s move. d’Arnaud is now slated to help fill in while the Rays deal with injuries to their top two backstops (Mike Zunino and Michael Perez).

Perhaps it’s not surprising to see these organizations showing interest in d’Arnaud as a fill-in and possible bounceback performer. He was long considered quite talented and has at times been a quality-hitting catcher. Best of all, the New York club is on the hook for d’Arnaud’s $3.52MM salary (less a pro-rated portion of the league minimum) so it’s a virtual free-ride for other outfits.

There’s no reason to think that the Dodgers soured on d’Arnaud after watching him take just one plate appearance, though perhaps they weren’t enthralled by what they saw when they worked him out at first base and left field. Perhaps the team was simply willing to let him go because there was a clear opportunity for him in Tampa Bay and because it was just as interested in utilizing other players to fill out the roster.

White Sox Acquire Paulo Orlando

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The White Sox announced today that they have acquired outfielder Paulo Orlando from the Dodgers. He has been assigned to Triple-A Charlotte.

The return isn’t know, but it’s likely a deal for cash considerations. Orlando had been serving as depth in the Los Angeles organization after signing a minors deal over the winter.

Orlando, 33, appeared in each of the past four seasons with the Royals but failed to reach 100 plate appearances in 2017 and 2018. He’s a .263/.289/.384 hitter over 918 plate appearances at the game’s highest level.

James Loney Retires

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Veteran first baseman James Loney, who’d launched a comeback bid when he signed with the Atlantic League’s Sugar Land Skeeters, announced his retirement from baseball Friday.

It’s been three years since Loney, now 35, appeared in a big league game. His last Major League work came in 2016 when he batted .265/.307/.397 through 366 plate appearances with the Mets. Loney had a brief stint with the Korea Baseball Organization’s LG Twins, did not play in 2018 and appeared in just 11 games with the Skeeters this season before today’s announcement.

Although it’s been a bit since Loney was prominent in Major League Baseball, he’s still a well-known name to most fans thanks to a solid 11-year run at the MLB level. Selected by the Dodgers with the 19th overall pick in the 2002 draft, Loney debuted as a 21-year-old less than four years later and quickly solidified himself as a viable long-term piece in Los Angeles. He hit .284/.342/.559 in 111 plate appearances during that rookie effort and followed it up with a brilliant .331/.381/.538 showing in 375 plate appearances during the 2007 season.

That cemented Loney’s place in the L.A. lineup, and while his bat never matched that lofty standard again, he was a solid offensive presence for the Dodgers over the next four years, consistently hitting for average with quality on-base skills and one of the game’s lowest strikeout rates. In parts of seven seasons with his original organization, Loney hit .284/.341/.423 all while providing the Dodgers with above-average defense at first base.

Loney struggled in a brief run with the Red Sox after being included in 2012’s epic Adrian Gonzalez/Carl Crawford/Josh Beckett blockbuster and settled for a one-year deal with the Rays in hopes of rebuilding his stock. He did just that. Loney turned in a .299/.348/.430 performance with his characteristically strong glovework in his first season with Tampa Bay, and he parlayed that success into a three-year, $21MM deal to remain with the Rays. He’d give Tampa Bay a second season of above-average output before struggling in year two of that pact and eventually being released prior to the final season of the deal. It was at that point that Loney latched on for what now proved to be his final season — the aforementioned Mets run.

All told, Loney logged 1443 games in the Majors and hit .284/.336/.410 with 108 home runs, 267 doubles, 21 triples, 38 stolen bases, 528 runs scored and another 669 knocked in. Beyond that, Loney was a monster in the postseason, hitting .350/.429/.525 through 91 plate appearances across parts of eight different series (mostly with the Dodgers). Between his first-round bonus and his 11 seasons in the Majors, Loney racked up more than $38MM in career earnings.

Dodgers Release Josh Smoker, Ezequiel Carrera

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The Dodgers released lefty Josh Smoker and outfielder Ezequiel Carrera from their Triple-A club, as first indicated on the Pacific Coast League’s transactions log.

Neither has performed well to start the season in Oklahoma City, as Smoker has been tagged for 14 runs on 20 hits and nine walks with 11 strikeouts in 14 innings of work thus far. Carrera, meanwhile, is hitting .172/.250/.207 — albeit through just 32 plate appearances over the course of 10 games.

Smoker, 30, spent the 2018 campaign with the Pirates and Tigers, pitching to a strong 3.38 ERA in with a 50-to-16 K/BB ratio in 45 1/3 innings of Triple-A ball. He allowed seven runs in 7 1/3 innings at the MLB level, however. Smoker averaged 95 mph on his fastball in 71 2/3 big league innings from 2016-17 with the Mets, but his heater dipped a couple miles per hour in last year’s brief stint.

Carrera, 31, has tallied more than four years of MLB service time across parts of seven big league seasons but hasn’t been in the Majors since 2017 with the Blue Jays. He’s a career .262/.324/.365 hitter with 19 homers, 45 doubles, nine triples and 44 steals through 508 games and just over 1300 MLB plate appearances. He’s logged at least 740 innings at all three outfield positions over the course of his Major League career.

Latest On Dodgers’ Plans For Travis d’Arnaud

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It was at least a mite curious when the Dodgers decided to add backstop Travis d’Arnaud over the weekend. There’s additional clarity now to the team’s thinking, as J.P. Hoornstra of the Orange County Register reports.

d’Arnaud joins fellow catchers Austin Barnes and Russell Martin on the active roster in Los Angeles. Some teams go with three receivers, at least for stretches, but it doesn’t appear that the Dodgers anticipate giving him much time behind the plate.

Manager Dave Roberts says that the team envisions utilizing d’Arnaud at first base and in left field. It’s a whole new world for the 30-year-old, who has logged exactly nine MLB innings in the field without a mask on. (He appeared briefly at second and third base in 2017.) d’Arnaud also played two games at first base in the minors, but has yet to line up on the outfield grass.

It’ll be interesting to see how this all shakes out. Having an experienced backstop available will help increase Roberts’s flexibility in making late-game decisions, even if the club doesn’t expect to lean heavily on d’Arnaud while he learns a whole new staff. And it’s quite nice to have him on hand as an added depth piece to help account for any injuries.

If d’Arnaud can rediscover his former form with the bat and learn some new positions along the way, he could end up being a rather interesting asset for the Dodgers. If things don’t shake out as hoped over the next several weeks, the club can reassess the health status of A.J. Pollock and scan the trade market if there’s a need for another right-handed bat.

A.J. Pollock Likely Out Until July

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Dodgers outfielder A.J. Pollock is slated for a minimum six-week shut-down after undergoing elbow surgery, he told reporters including Pedro Moura of The Athletic (via Twitter). He’ll likely need a ramp-up period thereafter, almost certainly pushing his return to the majors into the month of July.

Fortunately, it does not sound as if there’s much reason to fear ongoing physical problems. The procedure addressed a staph infection in his right elbow, but that’s healing nicely so far. The present timeline is based upon the catheter that was set in his biceps muscle in the other arm in order to treat the infection.

The Dodgers don’t seem inclined at this point to go searching for another right-handed-hitting outfielder to fill in for Pollock. Instead, Travis d’Arnaud was signed to function as a third catcher and bench bat. There are certainly enough pieces on hand to fill the void in the outfield, even if the club is now down a key cog. Chris Taylor seems sure to receive ample action, while the lefty-swinging Alex Verdugo and Joc Pederson will likely also get more chances.

Dodgers To Sign Travis d’Arnaud

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The Dodgers have agreed to a one-year deal with catcher Travis d’Arnaud, tweets Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. Castillo adds via Twitter that infielder Matt Beaty has been optioned to Triple-A to make room for the former Mets backstop, who was released Friday after he was designated for assignment. Because he was released, his former club is on the hook for all of the $3.515MM contract he signed in the offseason, while the Dodgers will pay him at the league-minimum rate.

For the time being, the Dodgers will move forward with a trio of catchers on the active roster, with d’Arnaud joining Austin Barnes and Russell Martin in Los Angeles. That combination has provided the Dodgers with solid production, so don’t expect d’Arnaud to supplant either incumbent behind the plate. Interestingly, though, manager Dave Roberts said that he plans to deploy d’Arnaud not only as a catcher, but also in the infield and outfield. In his 7-year Major League career, d’Arnaud has never played the outfield and has appeared in just one game at both second and third base. Of course, both Martin and Barnes have experience playing the infield, so perhaps they are more viable candidates to move into a utility role.

With outfielder A.J. Pollock undergoing elbow surgery after he was placed on the 10-day IL, manager Dave Roberts and company found themselves in need of an additional right-handed bat. Without Pollock, the Dodgers’ starting outfield consists of Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, and Alex Verdugo, all lefties. Chris Taylor is the only other bench bat capable of playing the outfield, so the addition of d’Arnaud could afford Roberts additional flexibility to rest his lefty bats against southpaws: Taylor and Enrique Hernandez could slide to the outfield, with one of Barnes, Martin, and d’Arnaud filling an infield spot. This would allow for righty-dominant lineups with a host of left-handed batters available off the bench.

His new club will look for d’Arnaud to return to the form he showed in the 2015 season, when he hit 12 home runs in just 67 games to go along with a career-best .825 OPS. Notably, d’Arnaud has played more than 100 games in a season just twice in his career. Injuries have represented a repeated source of frustration for the veteran, including last year, when a partial UCL tear cost him all but 4 games of his age-29 campaign. Perhaps the Dodgers hope that reducing the number of innings d’Arnaud spends behind the plate will reduce his risk of injury and allow him to contribute throughout the year.

Regardless, it’s a low-risk transaction for the Dodgers, who have to spend virtually nothing to get a player who could pay dividends if he proves capable of playing several positions while hitting capably. If A.J. Pollock returns from injury in a timely fashion or d’Arnaud doesn’t pan out, the Dodgers aren’t obligated to keep him around, with Barnes and Martin holding down the fort behind the plate.

West Injury Notes: Pollock, Tatis, Olson, Holland, Smyly

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With center fielder A.J. Pollock having undergone right elbow surgery Thursday, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register and other reporters that adding another righty-hitting outfielder “would be ideal.” However, Friedman noted the Dodgers “have a fairly high bar with our mindset being to giving our current guys more of a runway.” Even without Pollock, the Dodgers have no shortage of quality outfield options at the big league level, though nearly all of them hit from the left side. Pollock could come back later in the season to balance out the group, but there’s still no timetable for his return. For now, Pollock’s “resting and recovering” in the wake of surgery, per manager Dave Roberts.

  • Padres manager Andy Green expressed optimism Saturday that shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. will come off the injured list in relatively short order, Dennis Lin of The Athletic tweets. Tatis went down with a hamstring strain Tuesday, meaning he’s eligible to return as early as May 10. When he does come back, the 20-year-old rookie will try to pick up where he left off before the injury sidelined him. Tatis has burst on the scene by slashing .300/.360/.550 with six home runs and six steals in 111 plate appearances.
  • Injured first baseman Matt Olson could rejoin the Athletics as early as Tuesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle relays. The 25-year-old slugger has only totaled six plate appearances this season as a result of late-March surgery on his right hand, an injury that spurred the A’s to acquire Kendrys Morales from the Blue Jays. Morales has since amassed more appearances at first than any other Athletic, but the 35-year-old switch hitter has batted an uninspiring .200/.310/.271 with just one home run in 100 trips to the plate.
  • Giants left-hander Derek Holland will come off the injured list Wednesday for a start in Colorado, according to manager Bruce Bochy (via Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group). It’ll amount to a short stay on the IL for Holland, who landed on the shelf April 29 because of a bruised left index finger. Holland, 32, revived his career with the Giants last season, which convinced the team to re-sign him to a one-year, 7MM guarantee over the winter. The investment hasn’t paid off in the early going for San Francisco, as Holland has only managed a 5.34 ERA/5.15 FIP in 32 frames.
  • Texas will activate southpaw Drew Smyly from the IL to start Sunday against Toronto, Rangers executive vice president of communications John Blake announced. The oft-injured Smyly, who missed 2017-18 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, has been on the IL since April 20 because of mid-arm nerve tightness in his left arm. While the 29-year-old seems to have dodged a serious ailment this time, his return from TJ surgery has been a struggle thus far. Smyly has averaged fewer than four innings a start across four tries and posted a 7.80 ERA with six walks per nine and a meager 26.7 percent groundball rate.

A.J. Pollock To Undergo Elbow Surgery

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Dodgers outfielder A.J. Pollock will undergo surgery to remove the metal hardware that was inserted in his the growth plate of his right elbow back in a 2016 procedure, manager Dave Roberts announced Wednesday (Twitter links via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com and Pedro Moura of The Athletic).

Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times tweets that the Dodgers feel the fact that the metal can be removed entirely, rather than replaced is “relatively” good news, as it means Pollock’s growth plate has healed sufficiently, though obviously the loss is a blow to the club. There’s no timeline on a return, though Roberts noted that Pollock is expected back this season.

The Dodgers were well aware of the injury risks associated with Pollock when signing him to a four-year contract this offseason. The 31-year-old is an undeniably talented all-around player, but he’s topped 500 plate appearances just once in his big league career. Pollock averaged just 101 games played and 402 plate appearances per season dating back to 2014.

Most notably, Pollock was limited to only a dozen games back in 2016 after suffering a fractured elbow while sliding headfirst on a play at the plate — the injury that necessitated the surgery that ultimately led to this new procedure. It’s been a slow start to the season for Pollock, likely in part due to this infection, as he’s hit just .223/.287/.330 through 115 PAs — including just three hits in his past 29 trips to the plate.

With Pollock sidelined indefinitely, it stands to reason that Alex Verdugo will see an increased role in the outfield. Chris Taylor, too, could see an increase in playing time. Beyond that pair of center-field options, the Dodgers have Cody Bellinger and Joc Pederson as options, and versatile Enrique Hernandez is plenty experienced there. The team could get another option to add back into the mix eventually as well; Roberts also indicated that Andrew Toles has reported to the team’s Spring Training facility in Arizona and is beginning to work toward a return to the club (Twitter link via DiGiovanna).

Note: An earlier version of this post inaccurately indicated that the hardware in Pollock’s elbow had been dislodged. That is not the case. My apologies on the error.

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