The Dodgers’ Tuesday night ended in a 13-8 loss to the Cardinals, but the bigger story around the club was everything happening around the roster before and after first pitch.
Los Angeles dropped to 82-56 after St. Louis jumped on Eric Lauer early.
Lauer gave up seven earned runs in just three innings and struck out two. At the plate, Mookie Betts and Tommy Edman each turned in multi-hit games, with Betts driving in four runs.
Before the defeat, the Dodgers made a rare September deal, landing a right-handed pitcher from the Toronto Blue Jays. Even though the trade deadline is long gone, teams can still move players who are not on 40-man rosters, and that’s the lane LA used to make the move.
The club also shook up its catching situation in a six-player roster shuffle. Veteran catcher Ben Rortvedt was designated for assignment, while Will Smith finally returned after nearly three months on the injured list. Dalton Rushing was activated too, coming back after about a month away with a slightly torn UCL.
The reinforcements kept coming. Justin Wrobleski, now shifted to the bullpen, was activated on Tuesday after missing time last month with forearm tightness. Alex Freeland also joined the active roster, and his promotion came with some clear reasons behind it.
Freeland hit .230 over 73 MLB games this season before Tuesday night. He also showed strong plate discipline and real value in the field. His chase rate on pitches outside the strike zone was 22.6%, which ranked in the 88th percentile across MLB, and his plus-three Outs Above Average put him in the 85th percentile among qualified fielders.
With Tommy Edman moving to center field, Freeland is expected to see plenty of time at second base going forward.
The roster moves also meant a few players were bumped off the active group. The Dodgers optioned outfielder Alek Thomas as part of the series of transactions.
Roki Sasaki was also back to throwing on Tuesday while still on the injured list. Dave Roberts said Sasaki would keep throwing as he manages the blister on his middle finger, with the finger being bandaged.
The Dodgers lineup against the Cardinals included Will Smith starting after his three-month absence, another sign of how quickly the team’s look changed in a single day.
In Other News...
Dodgers Scrutiny Could Open A Door The Diamondbacks Needed In NL West
A fresh wave of scrutiny around the Dodgers finances has added an unexpected layer to the NL West race, and it has nothing to do with what happens between the lines. Pablo Torres investigation dug into the complicated relationships involving owner Mark Walter, Magic Johnson, EquiTrust and American Media Productions, centering on a $350 million loan and a record-setting TV deal that now have people around baseball asking whether the transactions were properly reviewed and disclosed.
There is no proof of illegal activity in the report, but the possibility of MLB looking more closely at the Dodgers financial structure is enough to matter for the division. If the league decides any penalties are warranted, it could alter some of the competitive advantages that have defined the Dodgers for years, and that is the kind of off-field development the Diamondbacks will be watching as closely as anyone. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Just Put Jorge Barrosas Roster Value To The Test
Tommy Troy is back on the active roster after a stint on the 10-day injured list, and the Diamondbacks made room by designating Jorge Barrosa for assignment. It is the sort of transactional move that can get lost in the shuffle of a long season, but it says plenty about where Arizona stands on the roster hierarchy and how quickly a young player can go from intriguing depth piece to vulnerable name.
Barrosa has already burned through his minor league options, which leaves the club with a narrower path to keep him around if another team takes interest on waivers. His offensive struggles in both the minors and the majors have made this a tough evaluation, and if he clears waivers he would stay in the organization as non-roster depth without the ability to elect free agency. [Read more 🡒]
Former D-Backs Outfielder Just Got Another Shot To Revive His Career
Dominic Fletcher is getting another chance to keep his career moving, this time with the Reds after signing a minor league deal and heading to Triple-A Louisville. For Diamondbacks fans, Fletcher still carries some familiar baggage: he reached the majors with Arizona, where his time as a rookie briefly hinted at a bigger role before he was dealt and moved on to Chicago.
Fletchers path since then has been far less settled, with stops that have included the White Sox and a recent minor league stint with Pittsburgh before he elected free agency and found this new opening. For a player trying to reset his trajectory, Louisville offers a fresh stage and a chance to convince another organization there is still something left to unlock. [Read more 🡒]