Toles out indefinitely due to personal matter

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles will be out indefinitely while dealing with a personal matter, according to the club.
"We aren't sure when Andrew will arrive, but he has been in contact with the organization and has our full support," according to a team release. "Out of respect for Andrew and his family, we will have no further comment on the matter."
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Manager Dave Roberts said he was "surprised" at the news and had not spoken to Toles.
"We'll get Andrew here when he works through personal things," said Roberts. "Don't know the timeline. The first part is just getting him here and getting him back in the swing of things."
Toles' situation could explain why a rumored Joc Pederson trade never happened. Both outfielders bat left-handed, as does Alex Verdugo, so the depth in the outfield will be diminished with Toles absent.
"It's obviously opportunities [for Pederson and Verdugo]," said Roberts. "For Alex and Joc, it's just get ready for the season. Alex had done everything he can do to prove himself at the Triple-A level and he came into camp in really good shape. He understands what he needs to do to get better as a player. Outside of that, it's let things unfold."
Toles has had a difficult past. He was dismissed from the University of Tennessee's baseball team in 2011, and after transferring to Chipola College, he was suspended from the team in '12. Tampa Bay drafted him in the third round that year, but he was disciplined in the Minor Leagues in '14 and was released for disciplinary reasons in '15.
While out of the game, Toles worked briefly at a Georgia grocery store, but was signed by the Dodgers in September 2015. They sent him to Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga for a month to start the '16 season, to Double-A Tulsa for two months and Triple-A Oklahoma City for a week before promoting him to Los Angeles for his Major League debut.

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Toles appeared in 48 games in 2016 and posted a glowing .870 OPS, plus a starring role in the club's loss to the Cubs in the National League Championship Series. He opened 2017 in the starting lineup, but on May 9 tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and was lost for the season. With an outfielder logjam, Toles opened 2018 at Triple-A and appeared in only 17 games with the Dodgers.
Toles' whirlwind transformation has been linked directly to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who drafted Toles when he ran the Tampa Bay Rays.
All other players have checked into camp with the first full-squad workout Tuesday.

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