LOS ANGELES — The game of musical chairs that is the Los Angeles Dodgers’ active roster continued Friday afternoon. Prior to their series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Dodgers optioned a scuffling Hyeseong Kim to Triple-A Oklahoma City, placed Teoscar Hernández on the injured list with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, re-signed Santiago Espinal and recalled Ryan Ward. The slew of moves indicates another depth test for the Dodgers, despite being winners of 12 of their last 14 games and surging to a season-high 16 games over .500.
“It’s always front of mind to be able to build depth, because things happen,” general manager Brandon Gomes said Friday. “Sometimes they time out where they’re on top of each other. The injuries being spaced out would obviously be a lot better, but that’s not how it works out.
“But right now we feel — knock on wood — that our depth is in a decent spot.”
Let’s break down the questions surrounding the current state of the Dodgers and how manager Dave Roberts is divvying up playing time among his new position group.
Why was Kim optioned and Espinal re-signed?
The Dodgers had contemplated sending Kim down throughout the week. Kim’s chase rate had spiked, and the club felt he had regressed to swing habits they tried to break last season.
“There’s some stuff in his setup, and it started to drift to a little bit more like what we saw last year,” Gomes said. “Thought when he first came up, he’d done some really good work with our hitting guys down in Triple A. So our guys are going to get together as a group and put together a plan and get with (hitting coach) Dylan (Nasiatka) in OKC and hopefully get him back to where he was earlier in the season.”
Kim showed much better plate discipline and pitch selection in April, two areas the Dodgers stressed Kim needed to improve. But throughout May, the whiff and strikeout rate started to climb. Kim owned a .543 OPS in May over 22 games with his chase rate (29.26 percent), whiff rate (27 percent) and K-rate (23.7 percent) all below league average.
“I think his swing has changed,” Roberts said. “He’s losing his legs a little bit. I think he’s coming around the ball a little bit, there’s a lot more swing and miss than there was early. … He is just playing a little bit more tentative and not as free and easy as he was some parts of last year and early on.”
Espinal, who was designated for assignment Monday when Kiké Hernández was activated off the 60-day injured list, returns to the club in the same role he had previously. He’ll be used for depth around the infield and could see time in the corner outfield if necessary. The Dodgers were hopeful they’d be able to retain Espinal even before Kiké Hernández landed back on the IL with a severe oblique strain. Espinal remained in the Los Angeles area, and when he cleared waivers, the club was eager to re-sign him. He will be in Saturday’s starting lineup against Phillies left-hander Jesús Luzardo. To make room for Espinal on the 40-man roster, Blake Snell was transferred to the 60-day IL.
Why did the Dodgers cut Espinal only to bring him back a few days later? The initial decision to designate Espinal for assignment was due to handedness and availability. With Kiké Hernández returning, there was an overload of right-handed bench bats. The Dodgers ultimately elected to keep the left-handed Kim to balance out the lineup. After Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández were sidelined, it opened the door for another righty bat, and Espinal’s defensive flexibility should help around the diamond as Roberts configures split playing time in both left field and at second base.
“With a star-studded team, you also have to have guys that know their roles, and (Espinal) is a guy that is good on the team, understands his value, he’s ready when called upon,” Roberts said. “I trust him defensively, and I like him versus left-handed pitching.”
Who will play left field, and why wasn’t James Tibbs III considered?
Alex Call will split time with Ward, though Roberts stopped shy of declaring the playing time a full-on platoon. Ward has experience playing in the corner outfield, but the majority of his playing time in Triple A has come at first base. The playing time will be fluid, with Call expected to start against most lefties and Ward getting the nod versus most righties. Call’s defense and speed — along with his innate ability to get on base — make him likelier to see more reps, as evidenced by his start Friday against right-hander Zack Wheeler.
Why wasn’t prospect James Tibbs III an option for a call-up? The Dodgers would like to give the 28-year-old Ward an extended look in the major leagues for the first time. Tibbs is mashing in Triple A, hitting .310 with a 1.029 OPS and 14 homers, but he’s also been dealing with a minor forearm issue, which is why he has been limited to a designated hitter’s role since May 6.
“I think he’s performing great, obviously,” Gomes said of Tibbs. “The numbers are fantastic. I just think Ward has done this for a while, and he’s certainly earned it. His numbers were nothing to scoff at in Triple A either, especially when you break out the (versus right-handed pitching) stuff.”
Ward hit .254/.379/.418 with six homers in 47 games for Oklahoma City. Even if he doesn’t always start, given Ward’s limited experience in the outfield, Call is the logical candidate to sub in as a defensive replacement when the score dictates so. Ward should still see a chunk of playing time. It’s not a perfect solution, but the Dodgers are comfortable patching it as such for now.
“(Ward’s) not going to be an (80-grade) defender out there, but I feel like he’s played enough out there the last few years that he can hold it down,” Roberts said.
The Dodgers feel they received the best possible news regarding Teoscar Hernández’s hamstring strain, and though there is still no set timetable for his return, he’s expected to miss at least a few weeks. He suffered the injury running down the first-base line in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. Still, given the left groin injury he played through last season, and the subsequent impact it had on his performance the rest of the year, the Dodgers will lean towards slow-playing him back.
“The MRI read better than we had expected,” Gomes said. “Hamstrings are tricky. But once he gets going, we’re hoping it’ll be a quick return, and we’ll try to get him some rehab at-bats. When (the groin injury) happened last year, we probably rushed it a bit on that front. We’re getting treatment for the next however many days, and then as he starts getting into things, how he’s responding, we’ll see. But it’s not as severe as we had thought it was.”
What will second base look like until Tommy Edman returns?
Alex Freeland will take over as the starting second baseman again. Freeland, who was recalled from Triple A after Kiké Hernández went back on the IL. Similar to the arrangement between the two earlier in the season, Miguel Rojas is also available to back up second base.
Tommy Edman began a rehab assignment with Oklahoma City on Tuesday. He will likely need the entirety of the stint (major-leaguers are allotted up to 20 days on a rehab assignment) before activation.
“He needs a full build-up, having no at-bats for so long,” Gomes said.
The Dodgers were planning on Edman’s return to second base when cleared to play, which lines up for June 16 barring any setbacks. Depending on Teoscar Hernández’s status — and the play of Call and Ward during that time — Edman could also spend some time in left field. How Freeland fares at the plate will also factor into that decision. He played a strong second base for the Dodgers in his first stint with the club this season, but hit just .228 with a .628 OPS. If he can produce at the plate more consistently, the Dodgers could be more flexible in how they move around Edman. All of that is dependent on the health of several starters. For now, the Dodgers will be creative in how they patchwork their roster and hope their depth pieces can perform.
— Fabian Ardaya contributed to this story
