Victor Gonzalez

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

By Mark Polishuk | June 26, 2022 at 7:40pm CDT

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 Select Shane Greene, Transfer Victor Gonzalez To 60-Day IL

By Darragh McDonald | May 15, 2022 at 1:39pm CDT

The Dodgers announced a series of roster moves today, one of them being the recall of Michael Grove, which was reported yesterday. Shane Greene will also be joining the team, though he wasn’t previously on the 40-man roster. To make room on the active roster, Reyes Moronta and Garrett Cleavinger have been optioned. For Greene’s spot on the 40-man, Victor Gonzalez was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

This will be the ninth MLB season for Greene, once he gets into a game. His career has been a bit of a rollercoaster, as he’s often oscillated between good and bad seasons. After posting ERAs north of 5.00 with the Tigers in 2015 and 2016, he turned things around in 2017. Across 67 2/3 innings that year, he had a 2.66 ERA, 25.8% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate. It was a 180-degree turn the next year, as his ERA shot up above 5.00 again in 2018. The next two years, he was good again, with ERAs of 2.30 and 2.60 in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Last year, the wheel of fortune spun him around again, as his ERA went up to 7.23.

That 7.23 ERA is a bit misleading, however, as Greene didn’t sign with the Braves until May and struggled to get into a groove after missing Spring Training. He had an 8.47 ERA with Atlanta before being released in August and latching on with the Dodgers. He put up a much more palatable 4.05 ERA in Los Angeles to finish the year, though in a small sample of just 6 2/3 innings. The club brought him back into the organization on a minor league deal in March. He has a 5.87 ERA in Triple-A so far this year, though the club evidently isn’t scared off by those results in a small sample of 7 2/3 innings.

The transfer of Gonzalez doesn’t come as a shock, as he underwent arthroscopic debridement surgery on his pitching elbow recently. The 60-day clock starts from his initial placement in April, meaning he won’t be eligible to return until early June. Though the club hopes he can return at some point this season, it doesn’t seem like it will be any time soon.

Dodgers’ Victor Gonzalez To Undergo Arthroscopic Surgery

By Mark Polishuk | May 8, 2022 at 5:05pm CDT

Dodgers left-hander Victor Gonzalez will undergo arthroscopic debridement surgery on his pitching elbow, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). There is hope that Gonzalez will be able to pitch this season, though it will ultimately depend on what doctors find during the procedure.

Gonzalez has yet to pitch in 2022 after developing elbow inflammation during Spring Training. The southpaw was roughly expected to be back on the mound by now, though further examination revealed that surgery was required. As a result, Gonzalez now faces an extended absence, even if he is able to make it back before the season is over.

The 26-year-old made his MLB debut in 2020, posting a 1.33 ERA over 20 1/3 innings in the regular season and then a 2.70 ERA in 6 2/3 frames during the Dodgers’ run to a World Series title. After that dream rookie year, Gonzalez was still pretty effective in 2021, delivering a 3.57 ERA over 35 1/3 innings, as his workload was limited by foot and knee injuries.

David Price and Mitch White are expected to return from the injured list in the next week or two, bringing some help to a Dodgers pitching staff that has once again been thinned out by injuries. Some are relatively minor health problems, while others (like Gonzalez or Blake Treinen) are longer-term in nature. For Treinen, Roberts said that the veteran righty will look to rehab his ailing shoulder without another visit to a doctor, and Treinen won’t be back until after the All-Star break. Treinen has pitched only three innings this year due to shoulder soreness, and had been slated to undergo an MRI.

NL West Notes: Upton, D’backs, Freeland, Dodgers

By Mark Polishuk | April 16, 2022 at 9:29am CDT

The Diamondbacks have “considered” a reunion with Justin Upton, The New York Post’s Jon Heyman writes, though it isn’t yet clear what the 34-year-old outfielder is himself planning for his next step. Upton has given some thought to retiring altogether after the Angels released the veteran last week.

If Upton does continue his career, a return to the D’Backs would represent a nice full-circle moment. Arizona selected Upton with the first overall pick of the 2005 draft, and Upton spent his first six Major League seasons with the Diamondbacks. That tenure included two All-Star appearances for Upton and arguably the finest year of his entire career, as he hit .289/.369/.529 with 31 home runs in 2011 and finished fourth in NL MVP voting.

Upton has been roughly a replacement-level player over his last three seasons with the Angels, but since signing him would cost the Diamondbacks only a prorated minimum salary, it might be a worthwhile flier for a team that has gotten off to a brutal start at the plate. The right-handed hitting Upton represents some lineup balance since many of Arizona’s top outfield choices (David Peralta, Daulton Varsho, Pavin Smith, Jake McCarthy) are all left-handed, plus DH Seth Beer is also a lefty bat.

Dodgers Activate Trea Turner; Jimmy Nelson To Undergo Elbow Surgery

By Anthony Franco | August 6, 2021 at 8:28pm CDT

The Dodgers announced they’ve reinstated Trea Turner from the COVID-19 injured list. He’s not in tonight’s starting lineup, but he could make his team debut off the bench this evening. Reliever Victor González has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 4, with right knee inflammation to open active roster space. To create 40-man roster space, the team has transferred righty Jimmy Nelson to the 60-day injured list. Nelson will undergo Tommy John surgery and a right flexor tendon repair procedure.

Whether tonight or tomorrow, Turner is soon to get into his first game as a Dodger. The All-Star shortstop came over alongside Max Scherzer last week as part of deadline season’s top blockbuster. The 28-year-old had tested positive for COVID-19 shortly before the trade, though, so he’s remained in isolation until today.

Turner adds another elite player to a lineup already chock-full of stars. He’s hitting .322/.369/.521 with eighteen home runs across 420 plate appearances, his second consecutive season of elite offensive output. One of the game’s best baserunners, Turner has also swiped 21 bags, all while playing average or better defense at shortstop. The whole package makes Turner one of the sport’s most valuable position players, although he seems likely to slide over to second base in deference to Corey Seager in L.A. Wherever he plays, Turner should be a massive boon to a Dodger club that trails the league-best Giants by four games in the NL West.

It’s not all positive news on the health front for the Dodgers with Nelson undergoing surgery. While the club didn’t provide a timetable for his return beyond ruling him out for the rest of this season, it seems likely he’ll miss the entire 2022 campaign rehabbing. It’s crushing news for a respected, high-quality pitcher who has been plagued by a series of long-term health issues in recent seasons.

Nelson looked like a potential top-of-the-rotation starter after a stellar 2017 season with the Brewers. A shoulder injury cost him the entire 2018 campaign, though. That kept him out for a good chunk of the 2019 season too, with an elbow injury costing him another month that year. Nelson was ineffective when he was healthy enough to pitch, and Milwaukee non-tendered him at the end of that season.

The Dodgers signed Nelson during the 2019-20 offseason, but a July back surgery prevented him from pitching all year. Los Angeles brought Nelson back on a minor league deal to work in relief, and he made good on his end of that agreement. The 32-year-old pitched to a sterling 1.86 ERA over 29 frames this year, emerging as a potential high-leverage option for manager Dave Roberts. Unfortunately, he landed on the IL with elbow inflammation on Wednesday. That issue apparently requires surgical repair.

Nelson will hit free agency at the end of this season. He could field some multi-year offers from teams with an eye toward the 2023 campaign. Alternatively, Nelson could rehab the injury on his own and look to market himself to clubs after he has returned to health. Either way, it’s a devastating turn of events for a player who has already overcome more than his fair share of health issues.

Dodgers Promote Zach McKinstry

By Jeff Todd | August 5, 2020 at 1:28pm CDT

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.

Dodgers Designate Terrance Gore For Assignment

By Steve Adams | July 30, 2020 at 6:04pm CDT

The Dodgers announced Thursday that they’ve designated outfielder Terrance Gore for assignment and recalled lefty Victor Gonzalez from their alternate training site.

Gore, 29, appeared in a pair of games with the Dodgers but didn’t get an at-bat, as he entered those contests as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement. That’s how things have gone in the bigs for much of Gore’s career. His blistering speed has made him a frequent pinch-running and defensive specialist, but he has just 77 plate appearances in parts of seven MLB seasons, including 2020. The Royals gave Gore a career-high 58 plate appearances last year, and he posted a solid .275/.362/.353 slash in that small sample. However, Gore carries a .213/.307/.269 slash in 492 Triple-A plate appearances.

The 24-year-old Gonzalez will be making his MLB debut when he first gets into a game. He soared through three minor league levels last season, pitching to a combined 2.31 ERA with averages of 9.3 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and 0.7 HR/9 through 89 2/3 frames along the way. Gonzalez regularly generates strong ground-ball rates and is considered to be among the Dodgers’ top 30 or so best prospects. He worked more in relief than in the bullpen last season, and although the Dodgers have had multiple injuries pop up in their rotation, it seems the ’pen is where Gonzalez will begin.

Manager Dave Roberts announced to reporters today that right-hander Tony Gonsolin will get the starting nod tomorrow (Twitter link via J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group), so he’ll need to be recalled from the alternate training site tomorrow.

Dodgers Select Victor Gonzalez’s Contract

By Mark Polishuk | October 31, 2019 at 8:26pm CDT

The Dodgers have selected the contract of left-hander Victor Gonzalez from Triple-A Oklahoma City, the team announced. The move puts Gonzalez on the 40-man roster and protects him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft.

The 23-year-old Gonzalez isn’t ranked within MLB.com’s ranking of the Dodgers’ top 30 prospects, and he only just cracked the Triple-A level this year, tossing 14 innings for Oklahoma City. Nevertheless, the L.A. front office felt he was worth keeping given Gonzalez’s impressive numbers across three minor league levels in 2019.

Beginning the year in high-A ball and ending in Triple-A, Gonzalez posted a cumulative 2.31 ERA, 9.3 K/9, and 2.91 K/BB rate over 89 2/3 innings. Though Gonzalez started 13 of his 38 total appearances this season, he worked exclusively as a reliever in 15 Triple-A outings, and bullpen work is probably Gonzalez’s likeliest path to a possible big league debut in 2020.

With Gonzalez added, the Dodgers now have 38 players on their 40-man roster. Teams have until November 20 to finalize their 40-man rosters in advance of the Rule 5 draft, which takes place on December 12.

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