The Los Angeles Dodgers remained committed to their reported desire of signing Bryce Harper to a short-term contract, and when that didn’t interest the superstar outfielder, the club moved on and inked A.J. Pollock to a four-year contract.
That the Dodgers were willing to sign Pollock for up to four years on a deal that includes a slew of incentives was somewhat of a surprise. Particularly considering Pollock had just turned 31 years old and has a long list of injury trouble.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and manager Dave Roberts expressed minimal concern over that factor, noting they were more bad luck than soft tissue injuries. Pollock was deemed the everyday center fielder but had his season interrupted by an elbow infection.
It required surgery, which led to Pollock being placed on the 10-day injured list. He’s been sidelined since the end of April and was disappointed to miss the Dodgers’ first visit to Chase Field, according to Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
“It’s a little bittersweet. I would love to come back here and play. I played here so many times, I just feel comfortable here. It’d be fun to play.”
Pollock did get to match up against his former Arizona Diamondbacks teammates late in Spring Training and again during the Opening Series of the regular season. He started in each of the four games at Dodger Stadium, going 7-for-17 with two doubles, one home run and six RBI.
Ever the competitor, Pollock said he was looking forward to being a thorn in the side of his old club. The Dodgers will see the Diamondbacks again on June 24 for the start of another three-game series at Chase Field.
However, as Pollock has yet to have the PICC line removed from his left elbow, he’s not likely to play during that visit either. Once he’s able to resume baseball activities, Pollock will need to go on a rehab assignment or log at-bats at the Dodgers’ Spring Training facility.
He hit .223/.287/.330 with three doubles, one triple, two home runs and 14 RBI over 28 games (26 starts) before the elbow infection forced him to the IL.
