The Los Angeles Dodgers continued to take advantage of an expanded active roster for the final month of the regular season by recalling Joc Pederson and Trayce Thompson from Triple-A Oklahoma City. The Dodgers are expected to call up Walker Buehler on Wednesday and Kyle Farmer this weekend.
Pederson hit .215/.329/.418 with 18 doubles, 11 home runs, 33 RBI, 33 walks, 62 strikeouts, a .324 wOBA and 101 wRC+ through 87 (68 starts) with the Dodgers before he was demoted to Oklahoma City. At the time of being sent down, Pederson was mired in a 2-for-41 slump.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the young center fielder would benefit from working through a change in his swing in the Minors as opposed to under a spotlight while with the Dodgers.
Pederson hit a paltry .143/.213/.214 with one double, one home run, five RBI, five walks and 12 strikeouts in 14 games with Oklahoma City. Although the results weren’t there, Roberts said he received encouraging reports on Pederson’s new mechanics.
Beyond his troubles at the plate, Pederson spent the bulk of his time (10 games) in left field. He twice started in center field and twice as a designated hitter. That’s of particular note considering Alex Verdugo has started in center field in four of his five games with the Dodgers.
As for Thompson, he’s yet to establish any sort of rhythm since a back injury cut his 2016 season short. In 94 games with Oklahoma City, Thompson batted .215/.272/.367 with 12 doubles, six triples, nine home runs and 33 RBI.
He’s 5-for-43 with two doubles, one triple, one home run and two RBI across 19 games with the Dodgers. Thompson hit .225/.302/.436 with 11 doubles, 13 home runs and 32 RBI for Los Angeles last season.
