The Los Angeles Dodgers addressed multiple needs at the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline in one fell swoop by acquiring Rich Hill and Josh Reddick from the Oakland Athletics. Hill has yet to make his Dodgers debut, while Reddick has yet to make an impact.
At the time of the trade Reddick was batting .296/.368/.449 with eight home runs, 28 RBIs, a .348 wOBA, 124 OPS+ and 121 wRC+. He was hitting .341/.408/.547 with all 20 of his extra-base hits (11 doubles, one triple, eight home runs) off right-handers.
However, the 29-year-old right fielder hasn’t come near matching that level production while wearing a Dodgers uniform.
Take into account Yasiel Puig is batting .421/.488/.763 with two doubles, three home runs and 11 RBIs in 10 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City after he was demoted to clear room for Reddick, and the outside pressure on the Dodgers’ new right fielder increases.
Manager Dave Roberts said after Friday’s loss to the Cincinnati Reds he’s seeing frustration in Reddick and intends to give him a day off, via Andy McCullough of the LA Times:
“He’s pressing,” Roberts said. “He’s getting some pitches in the strike zone that he’s not finishing the at-bat. Whether it’s a swing and miss, or a foul ball. There’s some visible frustration. He wants to perform. It seems like there comes some spots each game where he has a chance to impact the game. But he hasn’t come up with that hit.”
Reddick’s frustration reached a tipping point on Friday when television cameras caught him slam his helmet in the tunnel after lining out to right field. He finished 1-for-4 with one walk and one strikeout in the Dodgers’ 9-2 loss.
Reddick stepped to plate on multiple occasions with an opportunity to swing momentum in the Dodgers’ favor but came away empty. His lone hit was a one-out single in the ninth inning that allowed Corey Seager to go from first to third base.
Seager eventually scored on an A.J. Ellis RBI groundout. Now in 15 games with the Dodgers, all starts in which he’s in the cleanup spot more than half the time, Reddick is batting .164/.227/.180. He’s 10-for-61 with one double, five walks and 11 strikeouts.
Although Reddick is expected to sit Saturday against Reds left-handed starter Brandon Finnegan, Roberts previously stated the outfielder is not viewed as a platoon player.
