The Los Angeles Dodgers are eagerly awaiting the return of power-hitting outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, and recently got infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman back.
Edman has been sidelined with an ankle injury. He returned to the club Sunday and was immediately put back in the starting lineup. Hernandez was battling an adductor issue. He’s been sent down to the minor leagues to get some work in with the idea that he’ll be back up with the big club sooner than later, likely on Monday.
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The Dodgers have missed both from a lineup length standpoint. Hernandez usually is slotted in at his usual spot as the cleanup hitter. Edman’s versatility enables him to fit pretty much anywhere.
With Hernandez and Edman’s returns, though, the Dodgers had some difficult roster decisions to make. The ones they did make prove the team is valuing winning over everything else.
“With where we are, the division race, the composition of roster, everything — we felt like this was in the Dodgers’ best interest … [to] put us in a position to best win the World Series this year,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said in response to the Austin Barnes DFA and Chris Taylor release.
“Our primary goal during the regular season is to win the division,” Friedman added. “That is what we feel like puts us in the best position to accomplish our ultimate goal.”
When the Dodgers called up Hyeseong Kim to replace the injured Edman, manager Dave Roberts said he would go down to the minor leagues.
Kim played himself out of an option, though.
Chronicled across the sporting world, Kim has been brilliant since being called up from Triple-A. The dynamic infielder is sporting a blistering .452 batting average in 31 at-bats (14 hits). This includes a mind-boggling .485 on-base percentage. Kim has fielded the ball very well, and his speed has impacted more than a handful of situations. He’s unquestionably the fastest player on the team.
Kim is also extremely well liked, and he’s brought a real energy to this team. Spraying the ball to all parts of the park, he certainly looks the part as a real fixture moving forward.
Thus, it was Taylor who shockingly was released. The veteran utility player had been a major fixture within the franchise for nearly a decade. A true team guy, Taylor came to the Dodgers in 2016 in what was billed as an afterthought deal with the Seattle Mariners.
In the decade that followed, Taylor became an All-Star in 2021. He also helped the Dodgers win two World Series (was the NLCS MVP in 2017). A selfless player, Taylor literally played all over the diamond and in the outfield. As he transitioned into more of a bench player, his attitude and selflessness never changed. He was immensely well-liked, and was a strong presence in the community with various charity efforts.
Without a doubt, losing Barnes and Taylor this week feels like a ‘turning the page’ on a very successful chapter both were involved with.
However, the Dodgers are proving that their only goal is winning, and are fielding the best players on the field to accomplish their goal.
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Photo Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
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4 Responses
They have 1 reliable starter ( Yamamoto ) , and are paying Snell and Glasnow 60 million + a year to sit around and play catch. I have a question for you. Have you bothered to look at the upcoming schedule? If they can not beat the Angels, how do you think they will fare against actual good teams with this rotation. I keep hearing that they are playing the long game. The fact is, you have no guarantee that pitchers currently on the IL will return anytime soon. They do not plan on using Ohtani until after the AS break. By that time, you will be fortunate to even have a shot at a wildcard spot. But yet we are supposed to believe that they prioritize winning now.
Harold, thank you on your statement above. Why do the Dodgers continue to sign pitchers for big dollars on long term contracts who are constantly on the DL. When healthy both Glasnow and Snell are good pitchers, but neither can stay healthy. Do they really think Snell will be healthy for the nextg 5 years. And Glasnow has never stayed healthy.
It’s shocking to me that Chris Taylor was on the roster to begin with. His offensive production has gone from bad to worse in recent years.
What does the writer of this article think Dodgers should do instead of playing to win. That is the point of the game, isn’t it? Barnes and Taylor should have been released years ago.