In need of a roster spot to activate Franklin Gutierrez off the disabled list earlier this week, the Los Angeles Dodgers demoted Scott Van Slyke to Triple-A Oklahoma City. While Van Slyke offers more defensive versatility, he and Gutierrez are similar in the sense of their value lying with hitting left-handed pitching.
However, Van Slyke struggled in that role, which was an extension of his subpar production in 2015 and 2016. Last season, back and wrist injuries limited him to 52 games. “Slykie has been a mainstay here for a number of years and has gone through a lot physically,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said in the wake of optioning Van Slyke.
He hit just .250/.258/.508 with one double, one home run and two RBI in 21 games with the Dodgers this season. “It gives him an opportunity to go down to Triple-A, get some consistent at-bats and work through some mechanical things,” Roberts added. “We expect him back at some point.”
Van Slyke broke out in 2014, batting .297/.386/.524 with 13 doubles, 11 home runs, 29 RBI, a .398 wOBA and 161 wRC+ over a career-high 98 games. Included in that was a .315/.415/.630 batting line against southpaws, with eight home runs.
His 2014 season is one Van Slyke has pointed to as a benchmark of sorts. He specifically mentioned replicating that success heading into last season.
