The Los Angeles Dodgers doubled down on offense at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, first acquiring superstar shortstop Manny Machado from the Baltimore Orioles, and later, swapping out the light-hitting Logan Forsythe for All-Star second baseman Brian Dozier.
Dozier, who struggled in the first half with the Minnesota Twins, was viewed as a worthwhile gamble for the Dodgers. The club didn’t yield much to land him and were betting on his career track record of heating up in the final months of the regular season.
After initial success with his new team, Dozier has since struggled to get out of his own way. Among his woes as of late include an 0-for-23 stretch that spanned from Aug. 31 through Sept. 9.
Dozier recently revealed that he has been playing through a knee injury for the majority of the season, however, which could very well explain his overall poor results.
The 31-year-old nonetheless hopes to avoid a disabled list stint despite battling persistent knee pain that he refuses to use as an excuse, via Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times:
“That’s not me,” he said. “I’ve never been on the DL. I hope to not ever be. My mentality has always been, you can still be productive if you’re not 100%. I’m still trying to find ways to be productive.”
With less than three weeks remaining in the regular season, Dozier will likely avoid the DL due in part to rosters expanding and the Dodgers having plenty of infield depth to afford him an occasional day off.
Dozier finally found the hit column in Monday’s opener with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, going 1-for-2 with one double and a run scored.
All-in-all with the Dodgers, Dozier is hitting .193/.312/.353 with seven doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI across 141 plate appearances (35 games).
