When the Los Angeles Dodgers reported to Camelback Ranch for the start of Spring Training back in February, they did so without Andrew Toles. He was the only player anticipated to be in camp who did not join the team.
The Dodgers organization did not give too much information in regards to his absence, but they did say that it was due to a personal matter and they did not know when Toles would join the team.
Later in the spring, Toles still had not reported, so he was placed on the restricted list to clear up a spot on the 40-man roster. There still was no other information given for why he was absent though.
When the regular season started, there was still no sign of Toles, but that has changed. According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Toles arrived at Camelback Ranch for extended Spring Training:
Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles, on the restricted list while dealing with personal issues, has reported to the club’s Camelback Ranch-Glendale facility.
Whatever Toles was dealing with, it is good to see that it appears to be taken care of and he can now shift his focus towards baseball and potentially getting ready to contribute during the 2019 season.
Toles missed most of 2017 after tearing his ACL and requiring season-ending surgery at the end of April. He then spent most of 2018 with Triple-A Oklahoma City as he worked his way back into game shape.
Considering Toles missed so much time to deal with his personal matter, it is unlikely he will be able to contribute at the Major League level anytime soon. But if he can get back to his pre-injury 2016-17 form, then he can potentially provide the Dodgers with some much-needed outfield depth later this season.
That could be of particular importance should A.J. Pollock miss extended time due to an elbow infection that’s likely to land him on the 10-day injured list.
