Trayce Thompson has been an unexpected bright spot for the Los Angeles Dodgers since they acquired him from the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations.
In 40 games, Thompson has batted .289/.383/.538 with a 159 wRC+, nine doubles, one triple, five home runs and 20 RBI. The bulk of his initial opportunities came as an everyday player in left field while the Dodgers were dealing with multiple injuries.
However, the Dodgers are now effectively back to full strength on the position-player side, and with the acquisition of Joey Gallo, playing time for Thompson has become more scarce.
“It’s tough in the sense that we want to give Gallo some runway versus right-handed pitching, see how it looks in Major League Baseball games, but still give C.T. opportunities to play,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained.
“Specifically to Trayce, he has been everything we had hoped for. He’s certainly been better verse right this year, we acquired him to be really good against left. Good to see him get a double his last at-bat versus a left-hander. Trayce has been a pro.
“My job is to try to find ways to keep him relevant, take at-bats, but also get the other guys in there to take their at-bats. It’s always good when you have good players.”
The challenge of managing Thompson is also made more difficult by his reverse splits, which makes him less of an ideal platoon partner with Gallo in left field.
Against right-handers, Thompson is batting .323/.429/.600 with four doubles and four home runs in 77 plate appearances. But against left-handers, he has hit just .189/.271/.340 with five doubles and one home run over 59 plate appearances.
Thompson appreciated support from Steph Curry
With Thompson on the Dodgers, his brother Klay Thompson and Golden State Warriors teammate Steph Curry have both made it to Dodger stadium to support the outfielder in recent weeks.
While Thompson wasn’t in the lineup when Curry went to the game, he did get an opportunity to pinch-hit late. Thompson pulled a double into left field as the four-time champion threw his arms into the air to celebrate while recording the at-bat.
“I didn’t see it, but it’s cool. It’s just another family friend, really,” Thompson said. “But it’s pretty cool. I know he’s a busy guy, he’s got three awesome kids, a beautiful wife, great family and everything. It’s cool.”
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