'Back to health' Dodgers mull options with Edman

LOS ANGELES -- Tommy Edman came disconnected the injured database and started successful halfway tract connected Wednesday, providing a glimpse astatine what the Los Angeles Dodgers' alignment mightiness look similar astatine afloat strength.

Edman's return, aft missing the past 5 weeks with a recurrence of a close ankle injury, pushed Andy Pages from halfway tract to left, with Teoscar Hernandez remaining successful close and the struggling Michael Conforto relegated to the bench.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Edman volition get the bulk of his starts against opposing left-handed pitchers -- similar Kyle Freeland, the Colorado Rockies' starter connected Wednesday -- and that Conforto volition inactive beryllium successful the lineup erstwhile the Dodgers look righties.

Edman is simply a switch-hitter who has fared amended this play against lefties (.737 OPS) than righties (.647), but is navigating a down twelvemonth altogether, slashing .228/.281/.396 successful 86 games. His beingness should astatine slightest amended the team's defense, though the perfect setup has Pages successful close tract due to the fact that of his superior limb strength.

Hernandez has graded retired arsenic 1 of the worst close fielders successful the athletics this season, with minus-nine outs supra average, but Roberts near him determination due to the fact that of his comfortability astatine the presumption -- portion adding that his defence has improved of late.

"I'm toying with it," Roberts said of flipping Pages and Hernandez. "Obviously similar Andy successful right, similar the arm. Teo finished the play past twelvemonth successful near tract [after Mookie Betts returned to right], truthful we've shown we tin triumph a title with him successful near field. Not rather determination yet, but reasoning astir it. And a batch of it is contingent connected however Tommy looks arsenic well."

The Dodgers mightiness besides beryllium toying with the anticipation of having Roki Sasaki assistance their beleaguered bullpen. Sasaki, the prized Japanese pitching sensation who has struggled mightily successful his archetypal play successful the majors, had an encouraging commencement for the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate connected Tuesday, averaging 98.3 mph with his fastball -- astir 4 ticks higher than his anterior commencement -- and reaching 100 mph six times.

Sasaki was charged with 3 runs connected 3 hits and 4 walks, but astir of that harm came aft the 4th inning. What impressed Dodgers officials was the bid helium displayed not lone of his four-seam fastball, but besides of his splitter and cutter, the second of which replaced the slider.

Sasaki, who has made 5 starts successful what has amounted to a rehab duty portion coming disconnected a close enarthrosis impingement, is expected to to conscionable with Dodgers officials astir his adjacent measurement this week. The Dodgers' rotation is full, with six starters performing well, but the squad desperately needs assistance precocious successful games.

"We'd person to spot it here," Roberts said erstwhile asked if helium believes Sasaki tin beryllium an effectual reliever. "We inactive person time, but we're gonna person to spot it present obviously. We gotta marque a determination astatine immoderate constituent successful time, wherever we're gonna determination guardant present successful the adjacent mates weeks."

Edman, 30, missed a mates weeks astatine the commencement of May with an wounded to the aforesaid ankle and struggled upon returning, prompting thoughts that helium mightiness person travel backmost excessively early. This time, helium played successful 5 rehab games for the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate, starting either successful halfway tract oregon astatine designated hitter. Roberts wants to spot Edman determination astir successful games earlier determining however he'll divided his clip betwixt halfway tract and 2nd base, which fundamentally determines whether infielder Miguel Rojas oregon outfielder Read Entire Article