For the second time in as a few years, the Dodgers have acquired Amed Rosario forward of the commerce deadline. Coming off a down season in Cleveland final 12 months that left him as a below-average hitter total, Rosario was used nearly solely towards left-handed pitching throughout his time with L.A. final season. Even supposing he’s hit each righties and lefties fairly properly with the Rays this 12 months, nonetheless, supervisor Dave Roberts informed reporters (together with Invoice Plunkett of the Orange County Register) that Rosario’s position with the membership will probably be just like final 12 months.
“Actually, to be fairly frank, he’s not on this staff, and we didn’t purchase him, to be an on a regular basis participant — he didn’t play day-after-day in Tampa — and to hit righties,” Roberts stated (as relayed by Plunkett) when requested about Rosario’s position this 12 months.
Rosario has improved significantly by way of each his total slash line, which sits at .308/.332/.421 (116 wRC+) in 277 journeys to the plate, and in boosting his slash towards righties to a decent .299/.324/.395 (107 wRC+). Even so, it’s price noting that the 28-year-old remains to be hitting lefties higher than same-handed pitching. With lefty-swinging Gavin Lux at second base, Shohei Ohtani locked into on a regular basis at-bats at DH, and a trio of lefty-swingers in James Outman, Jason Heyward, and Kevin Kiermaier all a part of the membership’s deep outfield combine, it’s honest to marvel the place precisely Rosario would match into the membership’s lineup towards right-handed pitching.
Rosario has loads of expertise at shortstop and performed a little bit of third base for Tampa this 12 months, however the membership appears happy with Kiké Hernández at third base and Nick Ahmed at shortstop in the meanwhile. Maybe extra importantly, every of these items are solely stopgap choices to start with. Plunkett goes on to notice that Roberts indicated the membership hopes to see celebrity Mookie Betts return to the lineup on August 12 or 13. Betts has been sidelined since mid-June after an errant pitch fractured his left hand.
Betts was within the midst of a MVP-caliber season previous to his damage, slashing an unbelievable .304/.405/.488 in 72 video games that’s made all of the extra spectacular by the truth that he was concurrently making a comparatively seamless transition to changing into the on a regular basis shortstop in L.A. this season. Whereas it appeared at one level that veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas had staked his declare to common begins at brief in Betts’ absence, a forearm difficulty despatched him to the shelf as properly and seemingly leaves the place for Betts to slip again into upon his return.
Whereas third base figures to be an possibility for some time longer with Max Muncy nonetheless out as a result of a strained indirect, Freddie Freeman’s impending return from the restricted checklist may reduce alternatives for Rosario on the scorching nook as properly. Freeman has been out for a few week now as he tends to his household following the hospitalization of his son, Maximus, as a result of Guillain-Barré syndrome however Roberts notes that he may return to the membership as quickly as this week once they face the Phillies in a three-game set that begins on Monday. Freeman’s return to motion would liberate Cavan Biggio from common reps at first base, giving the membership a left-handed infield possibility with loads of expertise at third base the membership might want to make the most of over Rosario towards right-handers.
Sticking with information relating to currently-unavailable stars, Plunkett notes that right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw a 20-pitch bullpen session immediately in his first time taking the mound since being sidelined with a strained rotator cuff again in June. Roberts informed reporters (together with Plunkett) that the bullpen was a “massive step ahead” and that Yamamoto is slated to throw one other bullpen on Tuesday because the membership angles for a return to motion for the righty someday subsequent month. The precise-hander obtained the most important pitching contract in MLB historical past earlier than throwing a single pitch within the massive leagues this previous winter and instantly made good on it with a 2.92 ERA and a pair of.68 FIP in 14 begins for the Dodgers earlier than being shelved as a result of damage. Accidents to Yamamoto and Walker Buehler led the membership to fortify their rotation on the deadline by including right-hander Jack Flaherty, however it appears attainable that Yamamoto and Flaherty may be a part of forces down the stretch and into the postseason on the entrance of L.A.’s rotation alongside Tyler Glasnow.
