The Dodgers picked up a few useful developments on Thursday and Friday, with the organization celebrating a minor league title, getting a bullpen arm back on the mound, and reinstating Dalton Rushing from the injured list even if his role will be trimmed down.
At Triple-A, Oklahoma City finished off the Las Vegas Aviators, 5-2, to claim the Pacific Coast League championship. The Comets dropped Game 1 of the best-of-three series, then answered by winning the final two games in Las Vegas to secure their second PCL title in four seasons. After giving up 13 runs in the opener, Oklahoma City held Las Vegas to just two runs in each of the last two games.
The clincher also featured several notable Dodgers prospects making an impact. No. 1 prospect Josue De Paula picked up the first two Triple-A hits of his career, and one of them was an RBI double. No. 2 prospect Mike Sirota also drove in a run and reached base four times, while Zach Ehrhard added two doubles and an RBI.
Now Oklahoma City moves on to the Triple-A National Championship Game on Saturday in Las Vegas, where it will face the Rochester Red Wings, the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate.
The Dodgers also got a positive update from Edgardo Henriquez as the NLDS nears. The right-hander said he threw a bullpen session Thursday, his first time back on a mound since going on the injured list with a back issue. Henriquez had been bothered by discomfort for about a month before the team shut him down.
He said his back is in a much better place now and believes he has a realistic shot to be ready when the NLDS begins. That matters for a Dodgers bullpen that will need every workable arm it can find in October. Henriquez’s hard-throwing stuff gives Los Angeles another possible power option for the middle or late innings if he can ramp up in time.
There are still steps left before Henriquez can be viewed as a sure postseason roster piece, but simply getting back on the mound is a meaningful sign.
The other roster note came Friday, when the Dodgers reinstated Dalton Rushing from the injured list. His return comes with a catch, though: he is still dealing with elbow soreness tied to a partial UCL tear and will not catch again this season.
For now, the Dodgers are planning to use the 25-year-old mainly as a left-handed bat off the bench as they close out the regular season and get ready for October. At the plate, Rushing has been productive, hitting .249/.332/.466 with 12 home runs, 36 RBI and 37 runs scored in 250 plate appearances.
The bat gives the Dodgers another offensive option against right-handed pitching, but the lack of catching flexibility makes his postseason path less straightforward than it would be at full strength.
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Jansen has long credited former Dodgers executive De Jon Watson with pushing him to leave catching behind and make the move to the mound in the minors, a shift that altered everything that followed. He has gone on to pitch for several teams since his time in Los Angeles, but he has also made clear he would like to finish his career where it started to mean the most, which only adds another layer to how that old Dodgers decision still echoes today. [Read more 🡒]