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Dodgers Activate Mookie Betts, Option Gavin Lux, Matt Beaty

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The Dodgers activated Mookie Betts from the injured list and recalled Darien Nunez. In terms of the corresponding moves, Gavin Lux and Matt Beaty were optioned to Triple-A, per The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya (via Twitter).

These moves are at least in part due to yesterday’s marathon 16-inning game (though Betts, of course, would return no matter the circumstances). Nunez can provide a fresh arm to a busy bullpen. The southpaw has logged 7 1/3 innings with the Dodgers over six outings while being tagged for three home runs and eight runs total (seven earned). He’s been solid in the minors, however, with a 2.29 ERA in 39 1/3 innings.

More curious here are the demotions of Lux and Beaty. With the acquisition of Trea Turner, there simply aren’t many at-bats left for Lux and Beaty – not with Justin Turner, Corey Seager, Chris Taylor, and Max Muncy all expecting regular playing time as well. Both Lux and Beaty will benefit from consistent playing time in Triple-A. After all, Lux has had just one plate appearance in the past week; Beaty has been used regularly as a pinch-hitter, but he’s started just two games in August.

Dodgers Select Justin Bruihl, Place Garrett Cleavinger On IL

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The Dodgers are placing Garrett Cleavinger on the IL with a right oblique strain, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Taking his place on the roster will be Justin Bruihl. The club had an open spot on the 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move is not necessary.

Bruihl, an undrafted free agent out California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo, is a 24-year-old lefty. He pitched 15 Double-A innings this year with an ERA of 1.20, earning himself a promotion to Triple-A. In 22 2/3 innings there, he has an ERA of 3.57. He has excellent strikeout and walk rates at both levels.

For Cleavinger, this is yet another bounce in a season full of them. He’s been optioned four times and this will be his second IL stint. In 18 MLB innings this year, he has an ERA of 3.o0, with a decent strikeout rate of 25%, but an elevated walk rate of 14.3%.

In other Dodgers news, Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times reports that Gavin Lux is about to begin a rehab assignment and that Corey Knebel is expected to be activated Tuesday. Lux has been out since mid-July with a hamstring injury. There might not be much room for him in the middle infield once he’s healthy, given that Corey Seager is back and has been joined by newly-acquired Trea Turner. In 313 plate appearances this year, Lux has a slash line of .227/.307/.349, for a wRC+ of 83.

The return of Knebel will be most welcome, since the Dodgers bullpen has been weathering a slew of injuries lately. The righty has only thrown six innings this year on account of a lat strain but can be a potent weapon when healthy. From 2015 to 2018, he threw 214 1/3 innings out of Milwaukee’s ’pen, with an ERA of 3.02 and a massive strikeout rate of 35%. But health has been the big issue in recent years, as he’s only thrown 19 1/3 innings since that time due to various injuries.

Dodgers Place Gavin Lux On Injured List

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JULY 19: Los Angeles has placed Lux on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain. It seems he could be in for something of a lengthy absence, as manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Juan Toribio of MLB.com) his recovery “could take some time.”

JULY 18: Dodgers infielder Gavin Lux left today’s 6-5 loss to the Rockies with a hamstring injury.  Lux immediately grabbed his left hamstring area while breaking out of the batter’s box on a ground ball in the ninth inning, and he was replaced at shortstop in the bottom half of the frame.  Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts described the injury to reporters (including The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya) as a “cramp, mild strain-ish” type of problem, and Lux will likely miss at least a few games while team trainers and doctors perform tests.

Should the injured list be required for Lux, it will create another hole in a Dodgers roster that hasn’t really been entirely healthy at any point this season.  Pitching injuries have been the larger issue for the defending World Series champions, but several notable position players have missed time, including Corey Seager’s ongoing absence due to a broken hand.  (Lux himself had a minimal 10-game IL stint due to wrist soreness back in April.)

Lux began the season as the Dodgers’ regular second baseman, but took over as the primary shortstop when Seager was sidelined.  Seager is playing simulated games and might be pretty close to returning, but until he actually does get back, Chris Taylor will likely be the top option at shortstop if Lux is also out.

One of baseball’s top prospects during his time in the L.A. farm system, Lux has yet to really deliver on that high potential, though he has played only 124 big league games from 2019-21.  Lux posted a .655 OPS over 151 PA in his first two seasons and appeared in only one game during the Dodgers’ postseason run last fall.  Coming into this season with a starting gig, Lux has hit .227/.307/.349 with six home runs over 313 plate appearances.  There is some element of bad luck at play, considering Lux’s .294 wOBA is well below his .320 xwOBA, but even that latter statistic is below average.

Corey Seager Out At Least Four Weeks, Will Not Require Surgery On Broken Hand

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MAY 16, 2:07 pm: Fortunately, Seager will not require surgery, Roberts announced this afternoon (via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic). His specific timetable for a potential return remains unclear, although he will miss at least a month, per Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. In the interim, Gavin Lux will be Los Angeles’ primary shortstop. Seager fractured the fifth metacarpal in his right hand, Roberts said (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). The Dodgers are recalling catcher Keibert Ruiz to take his place on the active roster.

MAY 16, 1:21 am: X-rays revealed a fractured right hand for Seager, manager Dave Roberts told MLB.com’s Juan Toribio and other reporters post-game.  Seager will be placed on the 10-day IL prior to Sunday’s game, and the timetable for his return isn’t yet clear.

MAY 15: Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager left tonight’s game in the fifth inning after being hit in the right hand/wrist area by a pitch from Marlins southpaw Ross Detwiler.  Seager was immediately removed and didn’t take first base, as Sheldon Neuse replaced Seager as a pinch-runner.

There isn’t yet any word on the severity of Seager’s injury, though even a day-to-day type of absence wouldn’t be good news for a Dodger team that already has plenty of key personnel on the injured list.  Just today, AJ Pollock joined such names as Cody Bellinger, Tony Gonsolin, David Price, Brusdar Graterol, Scott Alexander, and Zach McKinstry on the short-term IL, while Dustin May and Edwin Rios have suffered season-ending injuries.  Losing Seager would be a particularly tough blow considering both his status as one of the game’s best shortstops, and because the Dodgers’ depth at the position is already thinned by the absence of utilityman McKinstry.

In the event of a lengthy absence for Seager, Chris Taylor or Gavin Lux would likely take the reins at shortstop, though moving Taylor out of center field could require Mookie Betts to shift over to center and thus open up a space in right field.  A cleaner move would be Lux to shortstop, Max Muncy to second base and an Albert Pujols/Yoshi Tsutsugo combination at first base, though Lux has struggled badly at the plate this season.  Fortunately for Los Angeles, Bellinger and McKinstry are both close to beginning rehab assignments, though that wouldn’t help in the short term if Seager is out.

Seager is hitting .265/.361/.422 with four home runs over his first 169 plate appearances of the season.  Though his 121 wRC+ is down from the 152 wRC+ posted over 232 PA in 2020, a Seager who stays healthy and productive throughout the season will be well-positioned to be one of the top free agents of the 2021-22 offseason.

Dodgers Make Several Roster Moves

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The Dodgers have activated second baseman Gavin Lux and right-hander Dennis Santana from the injured list, placed left-hander David Price on the 10-day IL with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain, and recalled righty Mitch White, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. The club also optioned lefty Garrett Cleavinger and outfielder DJ Peters.

The highly touted Lux, 22, began the season as the Dodgers’ starter at the keystone, but right wrist soreness has kept him out since April 14. Before that, Lux came out of the gates slowly with a .220/.244/.317 line and no home runs in 45 plate appearances. The Dodgers utilized Max Muncy, the now-injured Zach McKinstry, Sheldon Neuse and Chris Taylor at second while Lux was out.

Price returned this season after opting out of the 2020 campaign over COVID-19 concerns, though the former American League Cy Young winner has struggled in a full-time role as a reliever. The 35-year-old, who entered the season with 311 starts in 321 appearances, has pitched seven times out of the Dodgers’ bullpen and yielded seven runs (six earned) on a whopping 14 hits with 11 strikeouts against four walks in 9 2/3 innings. Price is going to miss at least “a few weeks,” according to manager Dave Roberts.

Dodgers Injury Notes: Knebel, Kelly, McKinstry, Gonsolin, Lux

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Dodgers reliever Corey Knebel left last night’s game against the Padres with an apparent arm injury and he’s in for a lengthy absence. Knebel is going on the injured list with a right lat strain, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). He won’t undergo surgery but will be out for a few months, with Roberts saying the organization hopes Knebel will be able to “pitch for us again this year” (Plunkett link).

Given that timetable, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Dodgers eventually transfer Knebel to the 60-day IL to open up a 40-man roster spot. It’s a disappointing development for the righty, who missed the entire 2019 season recovering from Tommy John surgery and spent some time on the IL last year due to a hamstring strain. Acquired from Milwaukee over the winter, Knebel has pitched six innings over eight appearances for the Dodgers this year, allowing three runs on three hits and as many walks with nine strikeouts.

Roberts also provided updates on a host of other injured players. Reliever Joe Kelly (shoulder soreness) is expected back in early-mid May, while utilityman Zach McKinstry will need more than the 10-day minimum IL stint to recover from his recent oblique strain (via Juan Toribio of MLB.com). Right-hander Tony Gonsolin, who is recovering from shoulder inflammation, began a long toss program but is not yet ready to work off the mound (per Plunkett). The news wasn’t all bad though, as second baseman Gavin Lux is expected to return from the IL when first eligible on Monday. Lux has been sidelined by right wrist soreness.

With Knebel and Dennis Santana (side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine) going on the injured list, the Dodgers are recalling infielder Matt Beaty and lefty reliever Garrett Cleavinger (Toribio link). Cleavinger, acquired from the Phillies in a three-team deal over the winter, will be making his Dodger debut if he gets into a game.

Dodgers Place Gavin Lux On Injured List, Activate Brusdar Graterol

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The Dodgers are placing second baseman Gavin Lux on the 10-day injured list with right wrist soreness, retroactive to April 16, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times and Juan Toribio of MLB.com were among those to pass along. Infielder Sheldon Neuse is being recalled to take his place on the active roster. Additionally, right-hander Brusdar Graterol is being activated from the injured list, with fellow reliever Alex Vesia optioned out in a corresponding move.

Lux is having issue swinging a bat, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register), but the Dodgers don’t believe he’ll be in for lengthy absence. Roberts noted he expects Lux to be in position to return when first eligible for activation on April 26. The Dodgers will turn to Neuse, who was acquired from the Athletics over the offseason, this afternoon to make his team debut.

Like Neuse, Graterol is in position to play for the first time this season. The fireballing reliever was delayed in camp but returns to the bullpen a couple weeks into the regular season. He tossed 23.1 innings of 3.09 ERA/3.70 SIERA ball last season.

To clear 40-man roster space for Graterol’s activation, the Dodgers placed right-hander Ashton Goudeau on waivers, where he was claimed by the Rockies. Goudeau actually broke into the majors with Colorado last season, tossing 8.1 innings over four games. He’s since bounced between a handful of teams on waivers, going from the Rockies to the Pirates to the Orioles to the Giants before landing in Los Angeles. Now, he’ll head back to the Rockies in hopes of sticking on a roster. To clear 40-man roster space for Goudeau, Colorado transferred utilityman Chris Owings (thumb) to the 60-day injured list.

Dodgers Call Up Gavin Lux

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The Dodgers have recalled infielder Gavin Lux up to their Major League roster, the team announced.  Right-hander Mitch White has been optioned to the team’s alternate training site to make roster space.

Lux is making a quick return to the L.A. roster just two days after making a one-game cameo as the 29th man in a doubleheader against the Giants.  That lone game (which saw Lux go 0-for-3 with two strikeouts) was the star prospect’s only bit of MLB action this season, as he has spent the rest of the year at the Dodgers’ alternate training site.

It remains to be seen if this promotion will stick, or if Lux could be on something of a regular shuttle between the Dodgers’ active roster and taxi squad.  Manager Dave Roberts indicated earlier this month that Lux wouldn’t be called up unless the team was ready to give him everyday playing time, and it’s possible a more regular role could emerge given the status of Justin Turner.  The veteran third baseman left last night’s game with a hamstring problem that Roberts hoped was only a cramp, though more won’t be known until Turner undergoes extra tests today.

Should Turner require a stint on the injured list, the Dodgers could shuffle their infield by giving third-base at-bats to any of Max Muncy, Enrique Hernandez, or Chris Taylor, thus opening the door for Lux to play second base.  As always with the Dodgers, they could easily rotate all of these players around the diamond (and through the DH spot) based on matchups.

Lux is one of baseball’s top prospects, and a dominant performance in Triple-A last season led to his first MLB promotion, and a .240/.305/.400 slash line over 82 plate appearances in 2019.  Lux has only played second base at the Major League level but he does a lot of minor league experience as a shortstop, so his arrival will give Los Angeles a bit of extra depth behind Corey Seager.

Dodgers To Option Gavin Lux Back To Taxi Squad

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9:39PM: Lux will be optioned back to the Dodgers’ taxi squad, Roberts told Gurnick (Twitter link) and other media after the game.

5:45PM: The Dodgers have called up infielder Gavin Lux from their alternate training site, with Lux set to serve as the extra 29th man for Game 2 of today’s doubleheader with the Giants.

Lux will appear on the Los Angeles roster for the first time this season, after he was somewhat surprisingly not included on the club’s roster for its July opener.  Lux did miss part of Summer Camp for unexplained reasons, and while there was speculation that Lux may have been kept in the minors for service-time reasons, manager Dave Roberts explained in early August that the Dodgers didn’t “feel he’s ready right now.”

“It was a short ramp-up for Gavin and he wasn’t right mechanically,” Roberts told MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick and other media on August 5.  “And he knows that, we know that.  He’s still getting there at [alternative training site] USC, getting at-bats daily, it’s coming.  I see video every day, it’s getting better.”

Roberts said at the time that Lux would only be called up to the Dodgers on an everyday basis, so though the “29th man” designation could imply some fluidity with Lux’s status, it would seem like the star prospect will now be part of the team’s regular mix.  Lux is in tonight’s starting lineup as a second baseman, which was also his position during his 23-game debut with Los Angeles last season.

Corey Seager obviously has Lux’s normal minor league position of shortstop covered at the MLB level, so Lux now looks to be the first-choice option at the keystone.  Enrique Hernandez, Max Muncy, and Chris Taylor have split time at second base this season with Hernandez getting the bulk of the playing time at that particular position, though all three players have been deployed elsewhere around the diamond given the Dodgers’ penchant for versatility.  With the DH spot in play for the 2020 season, Roberts should be able to find enough at-bats to keep everyone satisfied and rested as the Dodgers are already essentially in tune-up mode for the postseason.

Lux hit .240/.305/.400 over 82 PA with the Dodgers last season, plus an .856 OPS over 10 postseason PA.  A consensus top-five prospect in baseball coming into the 2020 campaign, Lux has dominated minor league pitching since being selected 20th overall in the 2016 draft, and now aims to be the next homegrown Dodgers prospect to find stardom in the majors.

Dodgers Option Gavin Lux

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The Dodgers have optioned talented young infielder Gavin Lux,. Lux had recently returned to Summer Camp after an unexplained absence that may or may not have been related to the coronavirus.

It’s not immediately clear why the Dodgers decided against carrying Lux to open the season. It had long been expected he’d be a key part of the roster after destroying upper-minors pitching in 2019 and holding his own over his MLB debut. That may still come to pass, but Lux will begin the year at the team’s alternate training site awaiting another call-up.

There’s obviously some potential here for service-time implications for the 22-year-old. He logged only 28 days in the majors last year, so even a brief absence in a shortened season could leave him shy of a full year of service when the 2020 campaign wraps up.

Lux obviously has nothing more to prove in the minors, so this decision surely isn’t about his development. With thirty active roster spots, there’s ample space to work with, though the Dodgers are surely committed to carrying loads of extra pitching. The uber-deep organization certainly has many viable candidates to cycle through at second base, where Lux had been the presumed option, though it’s still a bit difficult to imagine he truly fell short on a pure talent assessment.

It’ll be interesting to see how the organization (and Lux himself) discuss the decision when reporters have a chance to pose some questions. It could be there’s some as-yet-unknown developmental or motivational prerogative, or perhaps the Dodgers feel Lux is just in need of further work after a layoff. Whatever the reasoning, the service implications are hard to ignore given that the team could stand to pick up an extra year of control on the back end.

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