Kelly on bereavement list; Dodgers recall Garlick

PITTSBURGH -- The Dodgers recalled outfielder Kyle Garlick from Triple-A Oklahoma City before Friday's 10-2 win over the Pirates, as Joe Kelly was placed on the bereavement list.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Kelly is expected to rejoin the team when they return home Monday to face the Mets.

Garlick got his first Major League callup last Friday, then made his big league debut with a flyout to left field in Sunday’s 8-3 win over the Reds. The 27-year-old was optioned Tuesday to Triple-A, where he has posted an impressive .280/.375/.627 line with 10 home runs in 35 games.

Alongside a rested bullpen, the addition gives Roberts a five-man bench to work with in Pittsburgh for whatever the Pirates might throw at him.

“I think that with Julio [Urias], with Ross [Stripling], we have depth now,” Roberts said. “So to have that extra bat, I think that Garlick’s been playing really well, and to get him up here for a few days just adds to that position-player depth.”

The Dodgers selected Garlick in the 28th round of the 2015 Draft, and he’s progressed well through the Minors, posting a sub-.800 OPS only once in his tenure (.783 in 116 games between Double- and Triple-A in ‘18).

Kelly allowed runs in five of his first six appearances to begin the year, including four runs in an appearance against the Giants on April 1, boosting his ERA to 12.27. After just one run allowed over his past four appearances and six in his last 11 games, it has dropped to 7.79.

Baez questionable for Friday return

After sustaining a right-upper leg contusion Tuesday on a scary comebacker, reliever Pedro Baez is close to returning to his role as one of the Dodgers’ premier set-up men.

Baez was struck by a 102.8 mph liner from Willy Adames in the club’s 7-3 win over the Rays, but he’s progressed well, and Roberts is optimistic he’ll get a go this weekend -- just maybe not in Friday’s series opener in Pittsburgh.

“He’s going to play catch today,” Roberts said. “And the goal today is to hopefully get on the mound and see how it is going down the slope.

Revisions, revisions

Prior to Friday night’s game, the Dodgers posted three different expected lineups, as the Pirates used righty Michael Feliz as an opener leading into a lefty in Steven Brault.

Roberts said the moving parts presented a unique “challenge” to figuring out the best way to get the most production out of his lineup.

“Just kind of thinking through more of how they might attack us,” he said. “I just had some different thoughts.

“There’s just a little bit more that goes into it, but we have players that ... I just feel like we can come at anything they try to do. Openers are flexible and talented, so it’s something different, but it’s not going to affect our goal to win a baseball game.”

Roberts went as far as projecting who would likely come out of the Pirates’ taxed bullpen, which employed seven different relievers over the past two games, and which side they’d throw from.

“It’s fun to think through,” he said.