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Roster Decisions Coming

After the weekend series at home vs Arizona, the roster could get interesting.  For those expecting Michael Conforto to be DFA’d I do not think it is going to happen on September 1, if it will happen at all.

OTOH, it absolutely could.  Yes, Conforto had 2 doubles and made a fantastic catch on Monday, but IMO that is a little too little too late.  He has had 133 games to prove his naysayers wrong.  I was in favor of the decision to sign Conforto, so I will never back track on that.  But it is now winning time, and does Conforto give you the best chance?  Not in my opinion, but my opinion does not count.

On September 1, the Dodgers can add 1 player and 1 pitcher.  That pitcher figures to be Michael Kopech.  Once Snell is reinstated from Paternity Leave, I expect Edgardo Henriquez to be optioned to OKC,

Right now, the only player who is ready to return on September 1 is Hyeseong Kim.  He is in full rehab mode and will be ready to re-join the team on Monday.  As Monday is an off day, that decision could and undoubtedly will wait until Tuesday. Although, there are reports that could have Kim rejoin LAD this weekend vs Arizona.

Max Muncy faced live BP on Tuesday, and now undoubtedly will have a weekend rehab.  Doc has already said that Muncy could be activated early next week on the road schedule in Pittsburgh.  Will he get the nod over Kim?

Another option is for both Kim and Muncy to be activated, and that probably puts Justin Dean back on the shuttle to OKC.  He has his full slate of 3 options, so he does not need to be DFA’d.  Dean’s sole role on this team is to be the defensive replacement in CF, one he is eminently qualified for. Then again, so was James Outman.  But he is not trusted with a bat in his hand (also true for Outman by LAD).  Kim is not the defensive CF that Dean is, but he is still pretty good, and can be the late inning defensive replacement in CF moving Pages to RF.

Then the crunch will get even tighter when Tommy Edman is ready to return.  If the reports are to be believed, Edman’s ankle will be okay to play CF, which is probably where he will be positioned.  His scheduled return is early September.  The Dodgers do not want to lose Edman for the playoffs, so if that means a couple of extra days, then so be it.  But…who goes then?

I am not in favor of it, but my guess it will be Alex Freeland.  With Muncy, Kim, Rojas and Kiké, the infield is covered.  Kim, Miggy Ro, and Kiké can step in at SS to give Mookie a break.  Kiké has already said he is ready to give Freddie a break if needed at 1B.  All four can and have played 2nd, with all except Kim possible 3B options to give Max a day.  I am not sure that Kim has the arm to play 3B, but he certainly could in a pinch.  Freeland got his MLB taste and is proving he can be a MLB infielder.  His bat will have to be more productive, but he is making the adjustments, and that should come with more experience.  He can work on those adjustments in OKC for the remainder of this year, and then be ready to assume a 26 man spot next Spring.

Yes that would necessarily mean that Conforto would remain with team through the end of the year.  When all of the players currently on the IL are expected to be activated, this is how I see the 14 man position player roster.

 

C – Will Smith (R)

1B – Freddie Freeman (L)

2B – Hyeseong Kim (L)

3B – Max Muncy (L)

SS – Mookie Betts (R)

LF – Teoscar Hernández (R)

CF – Tommy Edman (S)

RF – Andy Pages (R)

DH – Shohei Ohtani (L)

 

Bench – Dalton Rushing (C) (L), Miggy Ro (INF) (R), Kiké Hernández (Util) (R), Alex Call (OF) (R), Michael Conforto (OF) (L)

 

Certainly an argument could be made that Freeland is a better bench option than Conforto.  It is an argument that I would make.  I would like to see what Alex can do down the stretch in a pennant run even as a PH, platoon with Kim at 2B, and fill in for Max.  He is a long-term option vs short-term Conforto.  Freeland represents the future and Conforto represents the past. Make Freeland the present.  Freeland is a switch hitter, so that could give him an edge.  But I just do not see it happening.  Call it stubbornness or arrogance, but I do not believe that the Dodgers will cut Conforto loose with less than 30 days to go in the season. I would not agree with that decision, but I am not paid to make them.  I am not even paid to question them, just a sounding board to post them.

What would you like to see happen, and what do you expect?

 

MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORTS

 

Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis) 4 – OKC Comets 2

Roki Sasaki made his 3rd rehab start and pitched decently for the first 3.2 IP.  For those 3.2 innings, Sasaki allowed 1 run, 2 hits, 1 BB, and 4 K on 57 pitches.  Then he must have hit the proverbial wall.  The next four batters were 3 singles and a BB to force in a run, and he was relieved by Will Klein.  Klein hit the first batter to force in a 3rd run, charged to Sasaki, before getting the final out.  Sasaki’s 4-seamer got up to 98+, but he is not getting enough swings and misses on it.

The first run came in the 1st on a BB, a single moving the runner to 3rd, who scored on a sac fly.

OKC tied the score in the bottom of the 1st with a lead off triple by Esteury Ruiz and a sac fly by Hyeseong Kim.

OKC got one back in the 6th after 4 consecutive walks with 2 outs.

Logan Boyer relieved Ronan Kopp in the 7th and promptly gave up a HR giving Memphis a 4-2 lead.

OKC got leadoff singles from Ruiz and Noah Miller in the 9th.  The next three Comets went down on strikes.

Ruiz was the only OKC hitter with a multi-hit game (3) and with a XBH, his 3rd triple.

 

Box Score

 

Tulsa Drillers 3 – Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston) 1 – 10 innings

This was a good pitchers’ duel.  Chris Campos was the starter for Tulsa for the first 5.0 innings.  He allowed the one run on a 4th inning HR.  He allowed 4 hits, but did not walk a batter.  He registered 5 K.

Wyatt Crowell completed the next 4.0 innings without allowing a run.  He allowed one hit, but also 3 BB.  He did strike out 4.

Tulsa tied the score in the 7th after a one out BB to Chris Newell, a SB, and scoring on a Griffin Lockwood-Powell single.

Jeisson Cabrera relieved Crowell in the 10th, and kept the Hooks from scoring.

In the bottom of the 10th for the Drillers, Griffin Lockwood-Powell hit a walk off HR, his 5th, giving Tulsa the 3-1 victory.

GLP and Eduardo Guerrero each had a pair of hits.  GLP had all three RBI.

 

Box Score

 

West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit) 2 – Great Lakes Loons 1

Brooks Auger started for GL and completed 5.1 innings.  He allowed 1 run on 3 hits, 1 BB, and 4 K.  Two of the three hits came in the 2nd inning and after a ground out, he gave up a sac fly for the one run.

Great Lakes tied it in the 6th.  Kendall George led off with an bunt single with the catcher throwing the ball away and George ending up on 3rd.  Zyhir Hope hit a one-out single to tie the score.

 

 

Myles Caba allowed a single and a 2-out double to score the eventual winning run in the 7th.

West Michigan’s SP was former LAD prospect Lael Lockhart who was with the Whitecaps on a rehab assignment.

Kendall George had 3 of the 5 Great Lakes hits, and stole 2 bases, giving him 85.  He also got caught once for his 23rd CS.

 

Box Score

 

Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego) 6 – Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 5

A couple of young prospects had big games.  21 year old CF, Charles Davalan, continues to dominate the California League.  He had a 4 hit night, going 4-5, with 3 doubles (3).  Then 18 year old SS, Emil Morales, followed that with a 3-4 night with a BB.  He also had a double, his 8th.

21 year old OF, Landyn Vidourek, had 2 hits including his 3rd double.  Finally 20 year old 2B, Niko Perez, was 2-3 with a BB, and his 12th double.

23 year old RHP Isaac Ayon started.  He gave up 1 run in his 2.0 IP, on 3 hits and 2 BB.  He did register 3 Ks before being relieved by Domingo Geronimo.  In the 4th, he allowed a single and double giving the Storm a 2-1 lead.

RC tied the score 2-2 when Morales singled and scored on Vidourek’s double.

Lake Elsinore took the lead in the bottom of the 6th.  Geronimo walked two.  Jhonny Jimenez relieved Geronimo and after a strikeout, he surrendered a 2-run triple.  The third run scored on a Jimenez WP.

The Storm took a 5-2 lead in the 8th.  In the 8th, Morales hit a lead off double.  He scored on a Vidourek single.  Vidourek moved to 2nd on a ground out, and scored on a throwing error.

In the 9th, Victor Rodrigues had a lead off single.  Mairo Martinus came in to run for Rodrigues.  He went to 3rd on a Perez double.  Davalan followed with his 4th hit and Martinus scored, but Perez was thrown out at the plate which would prove to be critical.  A pair of 2 out BB loaded the bases with Vidourek coming up.  Unfortunately Vidourek struck out to end the inning.

RC did not score in the 10th.  Cody Morse IBB the first batter.  He followed that with a HBP.  Morse got the first out on a 6-2 force out.  Niko Perez had a throwing error to home on the next batter and the Storm had a walkoff.

Davalan is now 15-24 slashing .625/.654/.958/1.612.

Morales is now slashing .356/.430/.621/1.051.

 

I do not expect it, but it sure would be nice to see both these guys get the call to GL for the final two weeks.

 

Box Score

 

Jeff Dominique

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Jeff Dominique
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Jeff Dominique
7 hours ago

Story by Alejandra Razo: Dodgers sign another MiLB pitcher

The Los Angeles Dodgers made a low-profile signing last week, adding right-handed pitcher Wyatt Mills on a minor league contract, according to the team’s transaction log on MLB.com.

Mills, 30, last played in the Major Leagues in 2022 but was out in 2023 and 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery before returning to professional baseball this season with the Boston Red Sox organization.

In 32 games (seven starts) in Triple-A this season, Mills had a 4-2 record with a 3.46 ERA, striking out 49 batters in 52 innings pitched. He was released by the Red Sox in early August and joined the Dodgers less than two weeks later, on August 16.

Mills was initially selected in the third round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. He worked his way through the minors before making his debut in 2021. He played 11 games that season, allowing 14 earned runs in 12.2 innings for a 9.95 ERA.

Mills played eight games with Seattle in 2022 before being traded to the Kansas City Royals. He played 19 games with the Royals before being designated for assignment at the end of the season and subsequently traded to the Red Sox.

Mills will provide pitching depth off the roster for the Dodgers, who are always on the lookout for potential diamonds in the rough. While it’s unlikely he’ll pitch for the team this season, especially as September rolls in, if he impresses enough, he might earn another contract with the team for next year with an invitation to spring training.

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Dionysus
Dionysus
10 minutes ago

Davalan da Gawd

I’m a huge Freeland but expect him to be sent down. 2026 is the year.

I like the OF arrangement but will FO make such a radical this late in the season.

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