As the Los Angeles Dodgers were finishing out their 7-2 win over the San Francisco Giants to snap a two-game losing streak, they did so without Joc Pederson playing the final two innings because of back stiffness.
Pederson went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and was thrown out when trying to score on a wild pitch in the top of the eighth inning. It’s unclear if that sequence may have led to the back trouble for Pederson.
He slid into home plate and walked to the dugout without any clear sign of trouble. It’s plausible Pederson may have been feeling a delayed effect from recently playing on turf at Tropicana Field and Chase Field; similar to Alex Verdugo’s condition.
Nevertheless, the 27-year-old improved overnight and is available off the bench for Sunday’s game, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
Joc Pederson is improved after feeling back stiffness Saturday night. Dave Roberts said Pederson is available for whatever is needed.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) June 9, 2019
Even had Pederson not been removed early on Saturday, he was unlikely to start the series finale anyhow as the Giants are sending Madison Bumgarner to the mound. Pederson is a career 2-for-9 with a double, home run and one RBI against Bumgarner.
Despite being relegated to a platoon in the outfield, Pederson has put together an impressive 2019 season thus far. He’s batting .254/.357/.616 with four doubles, three triples, 18 home runs, 33 RBI and a 151 OPS+ in 58 games.
Pederson is second on the team in homers, third in on-base plus slugging percentage (.973) and fourth in RBI. Pederson additionally is on track to set career highs in batting average, on-base percentage, OPS and OPS+.
