Several Los Angeles Dodgers players have been limited by injuries or illnesses in recent days, but some are beginning to make progress towards a potential return.
Dustin May and Jimmy Nelson have each resumed throwing, while Cody Bellinger made his way back to the Dodgers lineup after dealing with a knot in his back.
Chris Taylor also returned to the field on Saturday after a sore shoulder had limited him for most of the week. Next on the comeback trail is Joc Pederson, who was recently cleared to participate in Spring Training workouts.
Pederson has yet to appear in a Cactus League game due to a right side/hip issue, and while the injury isn’t believed to be serious, it wasn’t until late last week that he resumed baseball activity.
Pederson built up from standing in on Clayton Kershaw’s bullpen session and doing bunting to playing catch and taking swings in a batting cage.
As Pederson continues making strides in his recovery, he is slated to play five innings and receive multiple at-bats in a Minor League game on Sunday, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
The next step is for Pederson to play five innings and get multiple at-bats in a minor-league camp game on Sunday.
Though it will come in a Minor League environment, Sunday is slated to be the first time all year Pederson gets into an actual game.
Assuming he doesn’t have any setbacks, the next step could be rejoining the Dodgers for his first Cactus League game with just under three weeks until the regular season begins.
Pederson is expected to platoon with AJ Pollock in left field this season after a proposed trade to the L.A. Angels fell through. He hit a stellar .252/.349/.571 against the opposite split last year and looks to replicate those results in his seventh season with the Dodgers.
After losing his arbitration case to the Dodgers, Pederson remains on track to become a free agent after the 2020 season.
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