The Los Angeles Dodgers are struggling mightily.
So even amid their hopes of bolstering their roster via trade before Thursday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline, the Dodgers are calling up 23-year-old, No. 3 overall prospect Tyler Freeland from Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to The Athletic.
Freeland, a 6-foot, 200-pound shortstop and third baseman, is slashing .257/.377/.421 with 12 homers, 71 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in Triple-A this year.
Despite their 5-2 win Monday in Cincinnati, the Dodgers are just 6-13 in their past 19 games and have been bombarded with injuries to both infielders and pitchers alike.
LA is tied with the New York Mets for the third-best record in the NL and holds just a four-game lead over the San Diego Padres for the top spot in the National League West.
Why Are The Dodgers Calling Up Alex Freeland Now?
It might make sense for the Dodgers to flex their financial might by trading Freeland for an infielder like Eugenio Suarez, Taylor Ward or Willi Castro, and one of those moves may ultimately play out before the trade deadline.
But Freeland’s call-up comes out of necessity amid a slew of injuries to LA infielders, including a pair of recent ailments to come to light. Tommy Edman tweaked his ankle running the bases in Boston on Sunday, plus Hyeseong Kim is dealing with a left-shoulder injury, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
âI donât feel like this is that big a deal,â Edman said Monday. âI was just at a point where I didnât feel like I could run full speed today.â
Mainstay third baseman Max Muncy is on the IL with a bone bruise in his knee, which is why LA is short a corner infielder to begin with. Shortstop Mookie Betts is also slumping through his worst season of his 12-year big-league career, since he is slashing just .240/.313/.372 over 425 plate appearances.
Enter Freeland, who MLB Pipeline projected to begin his big-league journey this season yet appeared to be a trade chip blocked by Betts and Muncy before the season.
What Will Alex Freeland’s Role Be With The Dodgers?
It’s hard to imagine the Dodgers calling Freeland up to sit on the bench, so it’s a good probability he will assume the spot at third base with Edman and Kim both banged up.
It is unlikely Freeland will play much shortstop, since Betts appears to be heating up. The shortstop is a modest 3 for 8 over his past two games, including his 2-for-4, one-RBI, three runs-scored performance against the Reds on Monday night.
But Freeland has struggled defensively at third base, sporting an unwieldy .921 fielding percentage this year. He has six errors committed on 76 chances at third base this season, one fewer than his seven errors on 252 chances at shortstop this year.
Still, Ardaya posited Freeland’s call-up may just be a cup of coffee — even though if he is up he will play.
“Bringing Freeland to the majors can help at least serve as a stopgap,” Ardaya wrote. “If Kim and Edman are going to be potential health concerns, it could just add one more thing to the teamâs shopping list before Thursdayâs deadline.”
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