The Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of Justin Dean from the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets on Friday, having him replace Esteury Ruiz on the active roster.
Furthermore, to call up Dean the Dodgers also needed to make a move to add him to their 40-man roster, which was accomplished by designating Luken Baker for assignment.
The Dodgers claimed Baker off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 4, and he ultimately ended up playing one game for the Comets before getting DFA’d.
Baker was chosen with the 75th overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft by the Cardinals and made his MLB debut on June 3, 2023.
Meanwhile, Dean joined the Dodgers organization during the offseason by signing a Minor League contract. A former 17th-round pick by the Atlanta Braves in the 2018 Draft, Dean was enjoying a solid year with the Comets.
He hit .274/.370/.426 with six home runs, 55 runs, 31 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 81 games in Triple-A this season. Dean is a speedster, which he uses to great effect on the basepaths and on defense.
Dean is able to play all three spots in the outfield, but is a center fielder by trade. He has a similar profile to that of Ruiz, which is why he was optioned in favor of Dean.
Dodgers’ decision for Justin Dean replacing Esteury Ruiz
Ruiz made just 23 plate appearances while appearing in 19 games with the Dodgers.
“It was just giving Ruiz an opportunity to play more. He needs to play, continue to develop. We know he can steal a base,” manager Dave Roberts explained of the Dodgers shuffling outfielders on their roster.
“Justin is a really plus-plus center fielder, so just giving him a look out there as a defensive replacement, to pinch-run, be a guy off the bench, I think there’s a lot of utility in giving him a look.
“Twenty-eight years old, going to make his Major League debut, so really excited for him.”
The Dodgers see Dean as a defensive upgrade in center field over Ruiz, which is another one of the reasons for making this move and why he was chosen to join the roster over other potential candidates from Oklahoma City.
“Yeah, we want to see what it looks like up here,” Roberts said.
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