The last time most Los Angeles Dodgers fans saw Andrew Toles before Monday night, he was sliding into the left-field wall at Dodger Stadium last May. Toles tore his ACL on that botched attempt to catch a fly ball and remained sidelined for the rest of the 2017 season.
Despite a great 2018 sSpring Training, the Dodgers elected to option him to Triple-A Oklahoma City to start the regular season. He finally got called up when Yasiel Puig went on the disabled list with an oblique injury Monday. Toles started that same evening in center field against the San Diego Padres.
Toles wasted no time making an impact in his first big-league game in over a year. After an intentional walk his first time up, the speedy outfielder whacked a two-run double in the fourth to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.
He later raced home on a Joc Pederson ground ball, scoring easily despite the Padres bringing their infield in. The big fourth inning sparked an eventual 8-2 rout of San Diego.
After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts credited Toles’ energy for getting the Dodgers’ offense going, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“With Andrew, it sort of doesn’t matter at what level he plays, he plays at a certain speed, doesn’t overthink things,” said manager Dave Roberts. “Him being here brought a lot of energy. The guys were excited to get him here and welcomed him with open arms.”
Toles became a revelation in 2016, even getting some starts for the Dodgers in the postseason that year. He appeared popular in the Dodgers’ clubhouse then, and despite more than a yearlong absence, he seems to have not lost any of that popularity.
More importantly, though, Toles now has a chance to prove himself again at the Major League level. If he shows the same production he has in the past, he could find himself as a key piece in the Dodgers’ 2018 postseason push.
As part of our efforts to help you understand how we handle the personal information you share with us, and in preparation for the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we’ve updated our Privacy & Cookies Policy. The updated Privacy & Cookies Policy will take effect on May 22, 2018. By using our services on or after that date, you’ll be agreeing to our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy. We recommend that you read our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy in full.
