A mere four days after Will Venable opted out of his Minor League contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, the veteran outfielder caught on with the Los Angeles Dodgers, signing a one-year deal June 14.
Venable’s addition came on the heels of the Dodgers releasing Carl Crawford from the organization. Although it added to the Dodgers’ crowded outfield picture, manager Dave Roberts valued the versatility and left-handed bat off the bench Venable provided.
Through his first six games (two starts) with the Dodgers, Venable was just 1-for-10 with one double and three strikeouts. He was designated for assignment June 24 to clear room on the 40-man roster for Nick Tepesch’s call-up, and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City shortly after.
Venable appeared in just one game with OKC prior to re-joining the Dodgers to replace an injured Joc Pederson on the active roster. Venable went 0-for-8 with one run scored and two strikeouts over six games (one start).
He again was designated for assignment, cleared waivers, and sent outright to Oklahoma City. Venable finished the season batting .276/.343/.404 with six doubles, one triple, four home runs and 25 RBI in 46 games with OKC.
2016 Highlight
Over a stretch of five games with OKC from July 20-24, Venable hit .500/.556/.938 (8-for-16) with one double, two home runs and 10 RBI. Oklahoma City went undefeated during that span.
In Game 3 of the Pacific Coast League Championship Series, Venable’s two-run single in the seventh inning gave OKC a lead to force Game 4. El Paso Chihuahuas wound up winning the PCL championship in Game 4.
2017 Outlook
Considering his experience and aforementioned versatility, the Dodgers may have interest in re-signing Venable to a Minor League contract. Although the club has a bevy of outfielders throughout the roster, injuries have seemingly erased that depth each season since 2013.
