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Mookie Betts

MLB Announces 2022 All-Star Starters

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Major League Baseball announced the starting lineups for the 2022 All-Star Game this evening. The starting lineups are determined by fan vote. This year’s All-Star Game will take place at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, July 19. The starting pitchers and reserves will be announced at a later date.

American League

National League

Dodgers To Activate Mookie Betts From 10-Day Injured List Sunday

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Mookie Betts said earlier today that his return to the Dodgers’ lineup could come as early as tomorrow, and that scenario has now come to pass.  Manager Dave Roberts told J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group (Twitter links) that Betts will be activated from the 10-day injured list prior to tomorrow’s game with the Padres.

Los Angeles placed Betts on the IL on June 19 due to a cracked rib, so returning in only two weeks’ time is a sigh of relief for the player and the team following what could have been a much more serious injury.  The Dodgers even acquired Trayce Thompson as a right-handed hitting platoon partner for Eddy Alvarez in the outfield, seemingly indicating that Betts could miss a significant amount of time.  Even a week ago, Roberts didn’t have a timetable on Betts’ status and noted that the former AL MVP hadn’t yet begun any baseball activities.

Fortunately, once Betts did return to workouts, his progress went quite smoothly.  There was some suggestion that Betts could return as a second baseman rather than as a right fielder in order to make it easier on him to throw, though Betts said today that he preferred playing the field to being a designated hitter.

Betts will in fact return as a right fielder, as Chris Taylor is now day-to-day with a left foot contusion suffered while attempting a catch during tonight’s game.  X-rays were negative on Taylor’s foot, though the issue was serious enough for him to be removed from the game in the sixth inning.

The Dodgers have seemingly had a revolving door of players getting injured or healthy all season long, and yet without their first-choice lineup, L.A. is still leading the National League with a 49-28 record.  Naturally, Betts has been a big part of that success, hitting .273/.349/.535 with 17 home runs over his first 275 plate appearances.  Even with two missed weeks on the IL, Betts’ 3.3 fWAR still ranks him 12th among all hitters in baseball this season.

Mookie Betts Could Return Tomorrow, May Play Second Base Initially

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TODAY: Betts told reporters (including The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya) that he is planning to return either tomorrow or on Monday.  After today’s workout, Betts is feeling good enough to also play in the field, rather than work as a DH.

JULY 1: The Dodgers have been without Mookie Betts for the past two weeks, as the former AL MVP mends a fracture in his rib cage. The team, however, is optimistic that Betts could return as soon as next week, manager Dave Roberts told reporters last night (Twitter link via Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times). Betts took batting practice, played catch and fielded grounders yesterday. Interestingly, Roberts suggested that Betts could play second base, at least initially, due the shorter throws he’d be required to make.

Betts is no stranger to second base, having played the position extensively in the minors. He’s been primarily an outfielder throughout his big league tenure, of course, though he does have 182 innings at second base — 46 of which came as recently as the 2021 season. Deploying Betts at second base would seemingly push Gavin Lux into a utility role, at least initially — or he could simply take at-bats in the outfield on a regular basis, presumably at the expense of Eddy Alvarez and perhaps Trayce Thompson.

The Dodgers acquired Thompson from the Tigers with the idea of platooning him and Alvarez in right field, and Thompson has responded with a stout .292/.320/.458 showing in 25 trips to the plate (albeit with a whopping 11 punchouts in that short sample). Alvarez, meanwhile, has gone just 4-for-25 (all singles) and fanned in a third of his plate appearances. Barring a surge at the plate over the next week, it’s easy enough to see Lux taking on the left-handed share of an outfield platoon with Thompson.

Regardless of specific defensive alignment, the bigger takeaway for the Dodgers is that Betts, who’s posted yet another outstanding batting line in 2022 (.273/.349/.535), could be back in the lineup within the next ten days. The Dodgers have gone 7-5 in his absence and overtaken the now-second-place Padres by a margin of 2.5 games, but a swift return for Betts is still an obvious boon. If he’s able to return during next week’s homestand, it’d come either in a three-game series against Rockies or a four-game set against the Cubs.

Dodgers Notes: Betts, Ferguson, Treinen, Kahnle, Gonzalez, Duffy

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It has been a week since the Dodgers placed Mookie Betts on the 10-day injured list due to a right rib fracture, and it doesn’t appear as though the five-time All-Star is much closer to a return.  Manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register and Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times) that Betts is doing about “the same” after a week of rest, and Betts hasn’t been cleared to start baseball activities.

Given the varied nature of rib injuries, there was no official timeline placed on Betts’ recovery, though Roberts did say there was some initial hope Betts would miss roughly two weeks of action.  Unfortunately, it now looks like Betts certainly won’t make that projection, and Roberts didn’t give any updated idea on when the outfielder could be ready.

Looking at the calendar, if Betts has to miss much time beyond just another week, it is possible the team might opt to shut him down through the All-Star break, rather than bring him back for what might be just a few games before the break.  Because the All-Star Game is at Dodger Stadium this year, the Dodgers get an early jump on the break, as they don’t play on July 17.

With Betts sidelined, Eddy Alvarez and the newly-acquired Trayce Thompson have formed a platoon to cover one corner outfield slot, while Chris Taylor has seen most of the work in the other corner position.  Of course, any method of replacing Betts is going to seem imperfect, considering his status as one of baseball’s best all-around players.  Betts was hitting .273/.349/.535 with 17 home runs in 275 plate appearances, and was leading all NL outfielders in All-Star votes, as per the league’s last update.

Roberts also provided updates on several injured Dodgers pitchers both today and in yesterday’s sessions with the media.  Caleb Ferguson may be closest to a return, as he tossed a live bullpen session today and is slated to throw another on Wednesday in preparation for a possible activation from the injured list.  Ferguson didn’t make his 2022 debut until May, due to a lengthy recovery from Tommy John surgery, and he then went on the IL after six appearances due to forearm tendinitis.  Fortunately, it looks like Ferguson could be back within three weeks, as the Dodgers are aiming to activate him for their upcoming June 30-July 3 series against the Padres.

Moving to pitchers on the 60-day IL, Roberts said that Victor Gonzalez (left elbow inflammation), Tommy Kahnle (bone bruise in right elbow), and Danny Duffy (flexor tendon surgery) are all scheduled to return in August.  Kahnle has pitched four innings for Los Angeles this season while Gonzalez and Duffy have yet to see any work in 2022 — in Duffy’s case, he hasn’t pitched since July 16, 2021, when he was still a member of the Royals.

The outlook is still unclear about Blake Treinen’s availability, as Treinen threw only three innings before right shoulder inflammation sent him to the IL back in April.  The veteran reliever started to play catch earlier in June, but Roberts said today that Treinen is still “weeks away” from being able to throw off a mound.  Given the ramp-up time necessary once Treinen does get back on the bump, it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to return before 2022 is over.

Dodgers Exploring Market For Right-Handed Platoon Bat In Right Field

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The Dodgers took a huge hit over the weekend when Mookie Betts was placed on the injured list due to a cracked rib, and they’re already looking at ways to help weather the storm in his absence. Los Angeles exploring ways to acquire a right-handed-hitting outfielder to platoon with lefty-swinging Eddy Alvarez while waiting on Betts to heal, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). They’re looking to expend only “minimal prospect cost” in such a deal, which suggests they’re looking at low-cost stopgaps rather than a higher-profile name.

Were it not for a tough-luck injury to veteran Kevin Pillar, the Dodgers might’ve already had that solution in house. Pillar, however, suffered a fracture in his shoulder shortly after being called to the Majors and will miss the remainder of the season following the subsequent surgery to address the issue.

There’s no way to fully replace the value provided by Betts, who is again one of the game’s top all-around players. The former NL MVP was hitting .273/.349/.535 with 17 home runs, 13 doubles, six stolen bases and his typical brand of all-world defense in right field. There’s no firm indication as to how long Betts will be shelved. Manager Dave Roberts expressed optimism about a two-week absence, but that’s a best-case scenario. That the Dodgers are seeking low-cost, ostensibly short-term platoon options speaks to that optimism, but there’s little to be done about a rib fracture of this nature other than rest it and let it heal. Only time will tell the rate at which Betts’ rib mends.

The 32-year-old Alvarez doesn’t have any kind of big league track record to inspire much hope (.190/.277/.276 in 130 plate appearances), but he’s crushed Triple-A pitching at a .304/.430/.500 clip so far in 2022 and has had similarly productive Triple-A showings with the 2019 and 2021 Marlins. It’s sensible that, for the time being, the Dodgers would look to go with some in-house options to patch things over. Even the most obvious sellers on the summer trade market aren’t going to be motivated to sell yet — not with so many teams still trying to gauge their own playoff chances — and taking a short-term approach gives them some time to evaluate just how long Betts will need to recover.

The focus on low-cost platoon options removes the Dodgers from the mix for higher-profile names like Oakland’s Ramon Laureano and Baltimore’s Trey Mancini — at least for now — but still ought to leave plenty of scenarios to explore. Speaking purely speculatively, a big leaguer like Arizona’s Jordan Luplow would make sense both with Betts out and then as a bench piece moving forward, though the D-backs may want an actual prospect in return — especially from a division rival. Then again, given that the larger half of the proposed platoon (Alvarez) is a relative unknown, perhaps the Dodgers will be content to hunt for a similarly obscure solution on the short side of the platoon — be it an accomplished minor league slugger (e.g. Trayce Thompson, Jaylin Davis) or someone who’s yet to make their MLB debut at all.

If it appears at any point as though Betts is in for a lengthier absence, the possibility of a larger-scale move will improve. For now, small-scale swaps or even in-house promotions are the likelier first course of action. For instance, Rosenthal notes that third base prospect Miguel Vargas, who’s hitting .278/.376/.475 in Triple-A Oklahoma City, could be an option. The 22-year-old Vargas, ranked among baseball’s top 100 prospects at MLB.com and Baseball America, hasn’t played any outfield his professional career, however.

Dodgers Place Mookie Betts On 10-Day Injured List, Activate Andrew Heaney

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As expected, the Dodgers have placed Mookie Betts on the 10-day injured list and recalled Zach McKinstry. They also activated starter Andrew Heaney, optioning Reyes Moronta.

Betts excellence has become almost commonplace, as he’s again putting together a season that should merit MVP consideration if he’s able to return healthy. The former MVP is hitting .273/.349/.535 for a 148 wRC+. Combining that batting line with his excellent defense and baserunning, Betts has already accrued 3.3 wins above replacement on the year, in the estimation of FanGraphs.

As much as it hurts to lose Betts, Heaney is a big return for the Dodgers. Los Angeles is eager to see what exactly they have in Heaney, who made two scoreless starts at the outset of this season before going on the injured list. The former Angel is coming off a disastrous season, of course, in which he logged an overall 5.83 ERA/4.85 FIP with the Angels and Yankees. He became basically unplayable while in pinstripes, but looks to bounce back in Dodger blue.

Moronta, 29, losing his spot on the big league club for now. Moronta has been consistently good in the Majors, though is mostly limited samples. He has made eight appearances this season with an even 2.00 ERA and 2.47 FIP. It’s likely that he will return to the bigs at some point this season.

Dodgers To Place Mookie Betts On IL With Cracked Rib

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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including Juan Toribio of MLB.com, that Mookie Betts is headed to the injured list due to a cracked rib. Roberts said that the corresponding move will likely be the recall of Zach McKinstry, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

Betts sat out last night’s game due to this issue, though he was back in the lineup today. However, shortly before game time, he was scratched as his soreness lingered. As the club continued testing, an MRI revealed a cracked rib, per Ardaya.

The expected timeline for the absence of Betts isn’t known at this time, but the loss of a talent like his for any amount of time is significant. The former MVP is having yet another excellent campaign, hitting .273/.349/.535 for a 148 wRC+. Combining that batting line with his excellent defense and baserunning, Betts has already accrued 3.3 wins above replacement on the year, in the estimation of FanGraphs.

The Dodgers are having another excellent season, as has come to be the norm for them. However, they appear to be in for a fight this year, as their 40-24 record is just percentage points ahead of the Padres, with the Giants lurking just three games back. That means that every inch will count in the postseason race to come, with the loss of Betts marking a significant blow.

Dodgers Notes: Friedman, Payroll, Betts, Roberts, Heaney, Injuries

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Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman spoke with reporters (including The Los Angeles Times’ Mike DiGiovanna, The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, and The Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett) about several topics surrounding the team, including how much payroll might be available to acquire or re-sign premium players this winter.  Unsurprisingly, Friedman didn’t state any kind of dollar figure, noting that he has yet to receive an official budget for 2022.  That said, he noted that “our [ownership] group has demonstrated at every single turn its strong desire to win, and this year will be no different.  What that means in terms of an actual payroll number, I’m not sure, but I feel confident we’ll have the requisite talent to be a real championship competitor.”

By far the biggest spenders in baseball in 2021, the Dodgers soared over the Competitive Balance Tax threshold with an approximated $275MM tax number.  While it isn’t clear if L.A. will quite hit those payroll heights again, it seems very likely that the Dodgers will pay more tax penalties next year considering how much money is already on their books.  Of course, we also don’t know what the luxury tax threshold will even be next year, or if the CBT will be altered as players and owners negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.

More from Friedman…

  • It doesn’t seem like Mookie Betts will need any sort of procedure to fix the hip injuries that plagued him in 2021.  Hip inflammation twice sent Betts to the 10-day injured list for brief absences last year, and while his production was down from his usual numbers, Betts still hit .264/.367/.487 with 23 homers over 550 plate appearances even while being less than 100 percent for most of the season.
  • Freidman reiterated that the team wants manager Dave Roberts “to be a big part of what we accomplish looking forward,” though the Dodgers have more immediate offseason business that must be addressed before the club can talk with Roberts about a contract extension.  Roberts’ four-year deal is up after the 2022 season, and the 49-year-old has an outstanding 542-329 record over his six seasons as the Los Angeles manager, with the 2020 World Series championship, two other NL pennants, and five NL West titles on his resume.
  • The Dodgers already made a quick move to sign Andrew Heaney to a one-year, $8.5MM deal, and the Dodgers “feel like there’s some real upside we can tap into,” Friedman said.  “He’s got really strong ingredients in place, and there are a few different levers we feel like we can potentially pull with him that he’s bought into and is eager to dive in on.”  After a rough 2021 season, Heaney is hoping to rebound in Los Angeles and then re-enter the free agent market on the strength of a much better platform year.  This one-year commitment is just fine with Friedman, as he noted that adding a veteran as rotation depth allows the Dodgers’ pitching prospects more seasoning time in the minors.
  • Friedman also provided on some of the Dodgers’ Tommy John recovery cases.  Tommy Kahnle and Caleb Ferguson respectively underwent their procedures in August 2020 and September 2020, and the PBO said both hurlers should “be ready by Opening Day or shortly thereafter.” Dustin May underwent his TJ surgery almost exactly six months ago and has already started a throwing program, tentatively setting up a return after the All-Star Game.  “Everything to this point has been incredibly positive.  I think [May] is going to impact us at some point in the second half,” Friedman said.

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.

NL Injury Notes: Syndergaard, Betts, Kelly, Hoerner, Peralta

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Noah Syndergaard is expected to begin a rehab assignment this week, according to Tim Healey of Newsday Sports. As was previously reported, the Mets are planning on having the hulking righty return as a member of their bullpen, since there’s not enough time remaining in the season for him to be stretched out as a starter. This would be his second rehab assignment of the year, as he attempts to work his way back from undergoing Tommy John surgery in March of 2020. He had previously had a rehab stint in May, before being shut down due to elbow inflammation. It’s now been almost two years since his last big-league appearance, which was September 29th of 2019. The final few weeks of the season will be tremendously important for both Syndergaard and the Mets. The team needs all the help they can get to pull themselves out of their current nosedive. Despite having the division lead in the NL East as recently as August 5th, they are now in third place and seven games behind the Braves. As for Thor, he is a few weeks away from entering free agency for the first time and could help his own case by showing some health and effectiveness before the season ends.

More from around the NL…

  • The Dodgers are planning on reinstating Mookie Betts from the injured list on Thursday, per Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. The outfielder has been dealing with hip pain all year and is currently in the midst of his second IL placement this season because of it. Despite the nagging hip situation, Betts has still been tremendously valuable when on the field. In 87 games this year, he’s hitting .277/.378/.521, for a wRC+ of 143. Getting him healthy will be a huge boost to the Dodgers as they attempt to chase down the Giants and make up the 2 1/2 games that separate them in the race for the NL West crown.
  • The Dodgers could also welcome Joe Kelly back into the fold this week, per Castillo. Kelly was placed on the IL without explanation on August 10th, but a source of Castillo’s confirmed that it was because of a positive COVID test. The righty has seemingly recovered, given that he started a rehab assignment on Friday. He’s done some quality work this year, throwing 29 2/3 innings of 3.34 ERA ball. The bullpen could use his fresh arm, since it’s recently put Garrett Cleavinger and Evan Phillips on the 10-day IL, as well as Jimmy Nelson going under the knife for season-ending Tommy John surgery earlier this month.
  • Nico Hoerner left the first game of his rehab assignment today because of tension in his oblique, per Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com. Hoerner and the Cubs can afford to play things cautiously, as they are well out of the playoff picture at this point. But the infielder has only been able to play in 39 games this season due to various injuries and would surely like to get some more reps before the winter. The club would also surely love to get more looks at him in action, given that they are going into an offseason with so many potential variables after parting ways with so much of their previous core. When on the field, he has had been effective at the plate this year, slashing .313/.388/.388, producing a wRC+ of 113. He’s also played second base, third base, shortstop, left field and center field, meaning that he could fit into the club’s future plans in a variety of ways.
  • Freddy Peralta played catch today, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Peralta went on the IL on Thursday with shoulder inflammation and will be eligible to return this coming weekend. The righty is in the midst of an exceptional breakout season, as he’s thrown 121 1/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA and superb strikeout rate of 34%. Among all pitchers with at least 120 innings this season, that’s the fourth-best ERA and fourth-best K%. The Brewers don’t need to rush him back, as they are 7 1/2 games ahead of the Reds in the NL Central. But assuming he can keep his shoulder in good shape, he’ll form one third of a potentially deadly playoff rotation, alongside Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes.
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