The Los Angeles Dodgers welcomed position players to Camelback Ranch on Monday, with everyone reporting for Spring Training except Andrew Toles. The team announced the outfielder did not arrive in camp due to a personal matter.
“Toles has been in contact with the organization and has the club’s full support. Out of respect for Andrew and his family, the Dodgers will have no further comment on the matter,” the release read.
Toles was expected to compete for a bench spot on the Opening Day roster, though did figure to face an uphill battle. That challenge will presumably become all the more difficult if and when Toles joins the Dodgers in camp.
His absence was a surprise to manager Dave Roberts, who noted the outlook for Toles won’t be determined until he’s able to report, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“Yeah, it was a surprise,” Roberts said before Monday’s workout. “That’s part of the unpredictability of life.”
“I don’t know the timeline. That’s just the first part – getting him here and getting him back in the swing of things. Then we’ll evaluate going forward.”
Toles’ rapid ascension to making his MLB debut and eventually starting in left field for the Dodgers during the 2016 postseason has slowed since suffering a torn ACL in May 2017. He fared well last spring but began the 2018 season with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The purpose was to allow for Toles to get into a rhythm by playing on a daily basis. That was interrupted when he suffered a hamstring injury and a setback in his recovery. Toles wound up appearing in just 17 games for the Dodgers.
