Shawn Zarraga cleared waivers Sunday and was sent outright to the Minors, removing him from the Los Angeles Dodgers 40-man roster. Zarraga was added to the 40-man roster on Thursday and called up to the Majors for the first time in his career.
The 27-year-old didn’t join the Dodgers until the fourth inning and never entered the game. Zarraga was needed to temporarily fill the backup catcher role due to the Dodgers awaiting Carlos Ruiz’s arrival after he was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies.
Zarraga was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, but sent to Double-A Tulsa the following day. He’s batting .265/.348/.327 with seven doubles and 14 RBI over 41 games in time split with OKC and the Drillers.
With the Dodgers expecting to activate nearly a handful of players from the 60-day disabled list in September, spots on the 40-man roster are of high value.
Andre Ethier is currently in the midst of rehab assignment, while Clayton Kershaw will face batters this week in a simulated game.
Alex Wood may also return within with the next two weeks or so, and there’s hope Trayce Thompson will recover from back fractures prior to the season concluding.
What’s more, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently revealed Hyun-Jin Ryu is attempting to work his way back from left elbow tendinitis. It was previously expected that Ryu would miss the remainder of the 2016 season.
Players who are called up once active rosters expand do not first needed to be added to the 40-man roster. Roberts said the Dodgers expect to carry “north of” 30 players next month.
