The Los Angeles Dodgers officially reinstated A.J. Pollock from the 60-day injured list ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Boston Red Sox. Adam McCreery was traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in order to create room on the 40-man roster. Josh Thole was also included in the deal.
When the Dodgers activated Freese earlier this week, Kyle Garlick and Edwin Rios were both optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, leaving an open spot on the active roster that Pollock has now filled.
His return completes the expected roster moves for the Dodgers, as along with Freese, Corey Seager was also activated off the 10-day injured list this week. All three are in Friday’s lineup.
Pollock had been sidelined since late April due to a cut in his elbow that became infected and required surgery to remove hardware that was inserted during a previous operation. His recovery was slowed by the need for a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) in his left arm to deliver antibiotics to treat the infection.
Pollock could not sweat while the PICC line remained in place. It was removed during the middle of last month, and it was at that point Pollock began to aggressively ramp up his workouts, just as he vowed to do.
Like Seager, the 31-year-old utilized a virtual reality system to help track pitches and accelerate his return. Pollock began a rehab assignment with High-A Rancho Cucamonga, going 1-for-13 with a home run and five strikeouts over five starts.
Pollock is expected to regain his starting job in center field, which Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said will require position players to make some ‘sacrifice’ across the board as Freese and Seager are also healthy.
Alex Verdugo and Chris Taylor figure to be those who are most impacted, as they filled in for Pollock and Seager, respectively. Pollock largely struggled during the 28 games he’s played thus far, batting .223/.287/.330 with three doubles, one triple, two home runs and 14 RBI.
