Dodgers Officially Make Roster Move Ahead of Sunday's Series Finale vs Yankees
The Dodgers have officially made the roster move we were expecting on Sunday ahead of the series finale against the Yankees, placing OF Trayce Thompson on the injured list with a strained oblique and calling up No. 20 ranked prospect Jonny DeLuca from Triple-A.
DeLuca, 24, began the year in Double-A, but quickly worked his way up to Triple-A and now the big leagues. DeLuca is a power-hitting righty who crushed 14 home runs and 37 runs batted in across the minor leagues this season with an OPS of .952.
DeLuca also stole 12 bases, so he should bring a ton of versatility to this Dodgers lineup.
Most importantly, DeLuca has an OPS of 1.104 against LHP this year, so he should slide in perfectly as an everyday player against left-handed pitching. The Dodgers have been searching for a lefty killer all year long, so if DeLuca can be that guy, he can earn himself a ton of playing time this season.
DeLuca isn't in the starting lineup on Sunday night, but we'll see if he gets into the game at some point. If not, the Dodgers next game is on Tuesday, so that could be his first MLB opportunity against the Reds in Cincinnati.
As for Thompson, he's heading to the injured list where he'll be out for at least a few weeks. However, oblique injuries are always tough to gauge, so we have to hope that it's not going to be a lingering issue.
For example, Dodgers RHP Ryan Pepiot suffered an oblique injury in spring training, and he's yet to make his return, and won't be back until after the All-Star break at the earliest. So for Thompson, we'll hope it's not that bad, and he's able to get back sooner rather than later.
But in the immediate, all eyes will be on DeLuca, who will be hoping to earn himself a much longer big league stay over the next few weeks.
