Pollock goes on IL; Dodgers call up Uceta
LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers outfielder AJ Pollock aggravated his left hamstring in Friday’s 9-6 win over the Marlins and was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday. Right-hander Edwin Uceta was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to fill Pollock’s spot on the active roster.
Manager Dave Roberts wasn’t sure what grade the sprain was, but did reveal that Pollock will miss extended time.
“It’s going to be a couple of weeks, minimum,” Roberts said. “But hopefully we can nurse AJ back to health.”
Losing Pollock is a tough break for the Dodgers’ offense. Pollock has been one of the most consistent bats in the lineup over the last few weeks, hitting .340 with four homers over his last 17 games.
In Pollock’s absence, Matt Beaty will get the majority of playing time in left field, where he started Saturday. Beaty has also been a steady producer for the Dodgers the last couple of weeks, posting a .989 OPS with 14 RBIs in his last 10 games.
The bench will be thin with Beaty playing more regularly. Beaty was usually the first bat used off the bench for the Dodgers, but now the team will rely on Sheldon Neuse, DJ Peters and Luke Raley off the bench. Those roles could be diminished if the Dodgers complete the reported agreement with Albert Pujols. The team has not confirmed that move.
On the other side, by recalling Uceta, the Dodgers will carry 14 pitchers. A big reason for that is because the team has a scheduled bullpen game for Sunday’s series finale against the Marlins. Walker Buehler was originally scheduled to pitch on Sunday, but he was given an extra day of rest and will pitch on Monday against the D-backs.
Ríos heads for surgery
The Dodgers had high expectations for Edwin Ríos this season, but the infielder struggled to get going at the plate, going hitless in his last 37 at-bats. Ríos will undergo surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder next week.
The injury provided some important context as to why Ríos was struggling so mightily at the plate. He had been dealing with it most of the season, before ultimately letting coaches know that the treatment wasn’t working. He was placed on the injured list on May 5, then an MRI revealed the labrum damage.
“It’s frustrating,” Ríos said in Spanish. “I don’t want to put blame on the shoulder. Obviously when things weren’t going well, I was doing everything possible. But when we checked the shoulder with the MRI, it showed that I had a couple of things in there. Then you think, ‘Wow, this is one of the reasons as to why these things were happening,’ but I’m not going to blame the shoulder. I’m just going to keep my head up, stay positive and get ready for next season.”
After the surgery next week, Ríos will head to Arizona to rehab the shoulder. He’s expected to be ready for the start of Spring Training in 2022.
“I’ll be back,” Ríos said. “We’re going to rehab this thing and I’m going to be back stronger.”