The Los Angeles Dodgers have struggled as of late, partly due to the injury issues that have taken a toll on the club’s lineup and rotation.
They have been without Mookie Betts and Max Muncy since June 17 and May 17 respectively. Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor suffered their injuries more recently, but it further depleted their infield depth.
In addition, one of their trade deadline acquisitions, Tommy Edman, has yet to play as he recovers from offseason wrist surgery and a sprained ankle.
Fortunately for the Dodgers, all of them are trending in the right direction and will participate in a simulated game against some of the organization’s Minor League pitchers, manager Dave Roberts said via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
Roberts said All-Star Mookie Betts (fractured hand), third baseman Max Muncy (oblique strain), infielder Miguel Rojas (forearm strain), utility man Tommy Edman and possibly utility man Chris Taylor (groin injury) will all participate in a simulated game planned for Thursday at Dodger Stadium. All five are currently on the injured list and will face pitchers brought in from Class-A Rancho Cucamonga.
Muncy progressing to a simulated game may be the most encouraging outcome of them all. His timeline and potential return has been the most clouded due to his stagnant oblique injury, but he made a recent breakthrough that has allowed him to ramp up his activities:
“It’s a big step,” Roberts said. “He swung the bat yesterday, coaches’ batting practice. Felt good coming out of it. He’s swinging again today. Felt good. … He’s in a good spot.”
The Dodgers roster is badly in need of reinforcements and have used replacement-level players to get by thus far. During this time, they’ve also seen their lead in the National League West shrink significantly, and it has placed the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres in position to overtake the Dodgers.
In addition to the aforementioned injuries, they have also been without Freddie Freeman, who is away from the team due to his son’s illness.
Walker Buehler returning to Dodgers soon
After taking some time away from the Dodgers to work through his issues at Cressey Sports Performance in Florida, Walker Buehler rejoined the organization on July 25 and completed the first start of his rehab assignment on Thursday with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
He is now expected to make one start more before he re-joins the team.
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