Prior to Friday’s matchup with the Washington Nationals, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced a pair of roster moves. The recently-signed Travis d’Arnaud was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash considerations, while catcher Rocky Gale was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to assume his vacancy on the 25-man roster.
For d’Arnaud, a Long Beach, Calif., native, his stay with the Dodgers lasted all of five days. He provided further depth to the roster and a right-handed bat in the wake of A.J. Pollock undergoing elbow surgery, but was hardly utilized during his brief stint with the club.
With the Rays recently losing both Michael Pérez and Mike Zunino to injuries, d’Arnaud figures to get more of an opportunity in Tampa Bay. He is currently slated to split time with fellow catcher Anthony Bemboom in the meantime.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts echoed similar sentiments and believes the 30-year-old is now destined for more playing time with the Rays, via SportsNet LA:
“He’s going to go out there and get more playing time. For us to try to give him an opportunity and runway, it’s just been difficult. … It’s a good thing for him.”
d’Arnaud struggled to find his name in the lineup during his brief stretch with the Dodgers, accumulating just one plate appearance in Thursday’s opener against the Nationals. Besides that, he additionally received a handful of plate appearances in simulated games at Dodger Stadium.
Had d’Arnaud remained with the club going forward, the Dodgers planned to utilize him in a versatile capacity, where he would’ve received spot starts at both first base and left field. But that was also what prevented d’Arnaud from really ever playing for the Dodgers.
He’s never spent any time at first base or left field in his professional career, and was working prior to games to become acclimated to the positions.
Roberts previously explained that d’Arnaud’s right-handed bat, as well as defensive flexibility, made him an excellent fit on the Dodgers roster.
