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Dodgers Notes: Jarrin, Grove, Jackson, Taylor

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The Dodgers paid tribute to broadcasting legend Jaime Jarrin prior to yesterday’s game, feting the longtime Spanish-language voice of the team in his final season on the mic.  Jarrin began calling Dodgers games on the radio in 1959 (the team’s second season in Los Angeles) and has been a fixture ever since, announcing last year that he would be retiring at the end of the 2022 season.

It will mark the end of an era for L.A. fans, who had the unique benefit of hearing both Jarrin and Vin Scully call games from 1959 until Scully’s retirement in 2016.  The 86-year-old Jarrin has also had an incredible career beyond baseball, covering news for KWKW radio and calling other major sporting events like world championship boxing and the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.  We at MLB Trade Rumors wish Jarrin all the best in retirement, though he still has some very big games left to call during the Dodgers’ upcoming postseason run.

More from Chavez Ravine…

  • Right-hander Michael Grove was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left knee contusion, as the Dodgers recalled righty Andre Jackson from Triple-A in the corresponding move.  Grove suffered in the contusion in the final batter faced in his start yesterday, as C.J. Cron hit Grove with a line drive comebacker.  The injury doesn’t appear terribly serious, though the IL placement allows L.A. to get a fresh arm on the roster for the final few games of the season, and Grove was likely a borderline choice at best to make the postseason roster.  In his rookie year, Grove has a 4.60 ERA over 29 1/3 innings and seven appearances (six starts), helping the Dodgers by making a few spot starts in the place of injured or resting pitchers.
  • Chris Taylor was a scratch from Saturday’s lineup and also wasn’t in today’s lineup, as the super-utilityman is dealing with a sore neck.  Manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya) that Taylor’s neck is “not great” at the moment, and Taylor is considered day-to-day.  It has been a tough year for Taylor, who missed a month of time due to a fracture in his left foot, and is hitting only .221/.304/.373 over 454 plate appearances.  His 92 wRC+ is a big step back from the 116 wRC+ Taylor posted from 2017-21, and most of his struggles have come in the 44 games since his return from the injured list.  Since the Dodgers have a first-round bye, they have the luxury of waiting until October 11 to make any decisions on Taylor or any other players dealing with injury.

Dodgers Place Dustin May On Injured List

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The Dodgers have placed right-hander Dustin May on the 15-day injured list due to lower back tightness.  The team also announced that righty Andre Jackson was called up from Triple-A to take May’s spot on the active roster.

May is now ineligible to pitch again during the regular season, though his postseason availability could hinge on his health.  Since Los Angeles already has a bye in the first round, May will get some extra time to rest and recover before the Dodgers have to make their roster decisions for the NLDS.  Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports that May has a strained muscle in his lower back, and it isn’t yet known if the strain will impact his readiness for the playoffs, but the Dodgers are hopeful May will be ready.

May has already missed a lot of time with injury over the last two seasons, due to a Tommy John surgery back in May 2021.  The right-hander made it back to action in August, and has a 4.50 ERA, 22.8% strikeout rate, and 11% walk rate over 30 innings in 2022.  While these numbers are nothing to write home about, May’s velocity and spin rates are all still looking good in the wake of his TJ rehab.

The regular season has been a rousing success for the Dodgers, but they now face more pitching uncertainty as the playoffs loom.  Tony Gonsolin has a minor league rehab start scheduled for Tuesday after missing a month due to a forearm strain, so the All-Star could be on his way back to action, though nothing will be certain until Gonsolin gets onto the mound.  Ideally, Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw, and Gonsolin would be the Dodgers’ top three starters in a playoff series, with Tyler Anderson likeliest for fourth starter duty.  Andrew Heaney, May, or rookie Michael Grove would be lined up for long relief or emergency-starter depth, but as we’ve seen from past postseasons, the Dodgers are generally pretty flexible with pitcher roles in big games.

Dodgers Place Blake Treinen On 15-Day Injured List

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The Dodgers have placed right-hander Blake Treinen on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to September 7.  Right-hander Andre Jackson has been called up from Triple-A to take Treinen’s spot on the roster.

Treinen is dealing with tightness in his throwing shoulder, which is an ominous diagnosis considering that Treinen has missed most of the season due to shoulder problems.  As Treinen told MLB.com’s Juan Toribio and other reporters last week, he was initially advised to get surgery to repair a partial tear in the front capsule of his shoulder, but instead chose a non-surgical recovery option.  This allowed the right-hander to make it back for two more appearances after being activated from the 60-day IL, but Treinen has now been sidelined again.

It’s probably safe to assume that Treinen will again try to make it back without going under the knife, especially with the postseason nearing.  Whether he’ll be able to return after a minimum 15 days is another question, and it is possible Treinen has already thrown his final pitch of the 2022 season.  It might be that surgery is inevitable to fully correct his shoulder issues, and such a procedure might now potentially threaten his readiness for at least the start of the 2023 season.

In the midst of his IL stint, Treinen and the Dodgers agreed to a contract extension back in May that guaranteed his 2023 salary at $8MM, which was the total of a club option Los Angeles already held on his services.  Another club option for 2024 was also added, worth between $1MM-$7MM depending on Treinen’s health and other benchmarks.  With Treinen still plagued with shoulder problems, this extension might already look like a misfire on the Dodgers’ part, especially if he ends up having to miss a portion of the 2023 season.  While $8MM isn’t a huge amount to a big-payroll team like L.A., that number could certainly impact the luxury tax number for a club that figures to be in tax territory once again next year.

Dodgers Place Yency Almonte On 15-Day Injured List

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The Dodgers announced that right-hander Yency Almonte has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow tightness.  In the corresponding move, righty Andre Jackson was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Almonte will get an MRI to investigate the injury, manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya (Twitter links) and other reporters.  On the plus side, Almonte said that he is familiar with this type of tightness, and isn’t overly concerned about his status.

After spending his first four Major League seasons with the Rockies, Almonte was outrighted off Colorado’s 40-man following last year, and he chose free agency.  That led to a minor league deal with the Dodgers and an excellent bounce-back season for the 28-year-old.  Almonte has a 1.15 ERA over 31 1/3 relief innings for Los Angeles, inducing a lot of soft contact and limiting the long ball (only two homers allowed) despite a below-average 24.6% strikeout rate.

Almonte showed flashes of such performance in Colorado, posting impressive results in both 2018 and 2020 when he has been able to keep the ball in the park.  In 2021, however, he gave up nine homers over 47 2/3 innings, and between the home runs and an inflated walk rate, Almonte posted an ugly 7.55 ERA.

Jackson made his MLB debut in 2021, with 11 2/3 innings over three games for L.A.  He was briefly on the Dodgers’ active roster back in April but didn’t get any game action, so his 2022 resume consists of a 5.20 ERA over 55 1/3 innings at Triple-A.  Jackson battled control problems earlier in his minor league career, and those issues returned with a vengeance this year, as he has 48 free passes in his 55 1/3 innings (against 59 strikeouts).

Still, Roberts suggested that Jackson might receive a spot start for the Dodgers on Wednesday, filling in for the injured Clayton Kershaw.  It will depend on whether or not Jackson is needed in relief over the next couple of days, and the Dodgers also have an off-day Monday to factor into their rotation set-up.

Dodgers Select Carson Fulmer, Place Mitch White On COVID-IL

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The Dodgers have some roster moves prior to tonight’s game, including the selection of Carson Fulmer’s minor league contract.  Los Angeles also called up utilityman Zach McKinstry from Triple-A.  In corresponding moves, right-hander Mitch White was placed on the COVID-related injury list, and righty Andre Jackson was sent down to Triple-A.

Assuming he makes an appearance for the Dodgers, Fulmer will pitch for his fifth different team in the last four seasons.  All told, Fulmer has a 6.41 ERA over 130 2/3 career big league innings from 2016-21, pitching most recently with the Reds last season.  Cincinnati claimed Fulmer off waivers from the Pirates during Spring Training, and the righty had a 6.66 ERA in 25 2/3 frames of work before the Reds outrighted him off their 40-man roster in May.

The eighth overall pick of the 2015 draft, Fulmer has yet to live up to the promise of his high selection, struggling in both the majors and at Triple-A.  Fulmer has looked generally good with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate this year, posting a 2.31 ERA with a 25% strikeout rate over 11 2/3 relief innings.  However, Fulmer also has a 16.7% walk rate, continuing to display the control problems that have plagued much of his pro career.

Dodgers’ Cole Hamels Out For Season With Shoulder Injury

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9:39 pm: Hamels felt shoulder pain during a recent simulated game, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link).

9:17 pm: The Dodgers announced they’ve selected the contract of veteran reliever Neftalí Féliz. To create space on the 40-man roster, they placed left-hander Cole Hamels on the 60-day injured list. The move ends Hamels’ season before he could make an official appearance. Hamels recently suffered some form of arm injury, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link).

Additionally, Los Angeles recalled right-handed pitching prospect Andre Jackson to make his major league debut. Jackson was selected to the 40-man roster over the offseason to keep him from being taken in the Rule 5 draft, so no corresponding move was needed in that regard. To open active roster space, Darien Núñez and Edwin Uceta were optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Hamels missed almost all of last season with the Braves dealing with triceps and shoulder issues. He stayed on the free agent market for the entire offseason and the first half of the 2021 campaign before conducting a showcase in mid-July. That led to a one-year, $1MM deal with the Dodgers two weeks ago, with the hope that Hamels could build up as a late-season rotation option for Los Angeles. Unfortunately, he’s now dealing with another injury that’ll keep him from taking the mound in 2021.

There’ll surely be forthcoming updates on Hamels’ specific diagnosis and outlook. It’s not clear whether this latest issue stands to affect his readiness for the 2022 campaign. The 37-year-old will again hit free agency at the end of the season, and he’ll surely need to conduct another showcase for teams if he’s able and decides to pursue opportunities this winter.

What is clear is that Hamels’ setback will remove another potential starting pitching option for the Dodgers down the stretch. Los Angeles trails the Giants by four games in the NL West, and they were already without Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urías, Danny Duffy and Tony Gonsolin due to injury (as well as Dustin May, who underwent Tommy John surgery in May). Kershaw, notably, did play catch today for the first time since being shut down due to forearm soreness (via Juan Toribio of MLB.com), although he’s still not expected back until September.

Féliz is back in the majors for the second time this season. The former All-Star appeared in two games for the Phillies in late June, his first big league action in four years. Féliz was tagged for four runs in an inning of work with Philadelphia before being let go. The 33-year-old latched on with the Dodgers on a minor league deal shortly thereafter.

The veteran righty has spent the past six weeks at Oklahoma City, pitching his way back to the bigs with a 3.38 ERA across 18 2/3 innings. That’s a continuation of the stellar work he logged at the minors’ highest level with the Phillies’ affiliate in Lehigh Valley. Between the two organizations, Féliz has a 2.45 ERA in Triple-A with a huge 38.8% strikeout rate and an average 9.7% walk percentage.

Jackson, meanwhile, is one of the better pitching prospects in the Dodgers’ system. He fell to the twelfth round in the 2017 draft after undergoing Tommy John surgery during his final season at the University of Utah, where he spent more time as an outfielder than he did on the mound. The righty made his professional debut the following year and struggled with his control, but he had a breakout 2019 season split between two levels of A-ball.

Each of Baseball America, Keith Law of the Athletic and Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs slotted Jackson among the Dodgers’ top fifteen minor leaguers either before or during the 2021 season. Evaluators praise his four-pitch mix and athleticism, with a general expectation he’ll continue to improve due to his relative lack of experience as a pitcher.

The 24-year-old has spent most of the year with Double-A Tulsa, pitching to 3.27 ERA across 63 1/3 innings. Jackson punched out a strong 29.6% of opponents while walking a career-low 7.9% of batters faced to earn his first big league call.

Dodgers Add 4 To 40-Man Roster

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The Dodgers have added three right-handers – Gerardo Carrillo, Andre Jackson and Edwin Uceta – as well as outfielder Zach Reks to their 40-man roster J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group tweets.

Going by MLB.com’s rankings of the Dodgers’ farm system, Jackson is the lone prospect here who sits in the franchise’s top 30. The former 12th-round pick (2017) comes in at No. 27, though he did thrive between Single-A and High-A ball in his most recent minor league action in 2019. Jackson ended the year with a 3.06 ERA and 11.1 K/9 against 4.5 BB/9 in 114 2/3 innings.

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