Andy Pages rejoined the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 1 when active rosters expanded to 28 players. Although he returned with an uncertain role, the 23-year-old received more playing time in the wake of Teoscar Hernández’s left foot injury.
Pages started in left field on Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians and hit a home run as part of the Dodgers’ six-run first inning. The outfielder was back in the starting lineup on Sunday and had a pinch-hit opportunity against the Chicago Cubs the following day as well.
Manager Dave Roberts noted that Pages seems to be handling himself better in his second stint with the Dodgers. “This time around, I see a much better mind frame,” Roberts began.
“When he was playing a lot, it was good, and then when he wasn’t playing a lot, he was obviously disappointed, and I don’t think he was in a good mindset.
“And so when he went down and performed and came back up here. He’s in a better space as far as whatever the teams needs, and it’s good to see some results too.”
Pages originally joined the Dodgers in mid-April and hit his way into an everyday role. However, he eventually cooled off at the plate and was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City when Max Muncy returned from the 60-day injured list.
That was despite Pages hitting .290/.389/.548 with five doubles, a home run and five RBI in 10 games (eight starts) at the big league level in August.
The rookie essentially became the odd man out with Kevin Kiermaier’s presence, the Dodgers’ plan to play Tommy Edman in center field and Mookie Betts returning to right field.
Andy Pages focused on staying calm and being confident
Pages noted some of the things he worked on after being optioned to OKC last month. “Just working with the hitting coaches, trying to remain calm and have a lot of confidence up there,” Pages said through a translator.
Pages focused less on his results and more about the process itself. “More than anything, just not focused on those results. I’m trying to talk to other people outside of the game of baseball to kind of keep that confidence up and just to keep me in a better place mentally,” he said.
Pages acknowledged the disappointment of returning to the Dodgers without an everyday role but patiently waited for his next opportunity. “Just working hard, trying to keep focus on working hard and when that opportunity comes to me, just doing the best I can,” Pages said.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
