Trayce Thompson has been locked into a platoon role for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, continuously getting starts against left-handed pitching despite struggling in such situations.
But on Saturday against the New York Yankees, Thompson suffered an oblique strain that will require a stint on the 10-day injured list, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Due to the nature of oblique stains, it would not be surprising if Thompson misses a long stretch of time.
Thompson has hit just .155/.310/.366 in 36 games this season, but more recently was swinging a hot bat. In his last seven games, the 32-year-old batted .364/.500/.636. However, it came in just 11 at-bats.
“It is frustrating,” Roberts said of Thompson’s oblique injury. “I feel for him. He took a good at-bat right there and I was looking forward to him playing on Wednesday in Cincinnati. Now we’ve got to re-assess, but I’m sure he’s really disappointed.”
With Thompson going on the IL, the Dodgers are expected to promote prospect Jonny DeLuca from Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic:
The Dodgers don’t have many exact fits for Thompson’s role, but they electing to call up outfield prospect Jonny DeLuca, sources tell The Athletic.
DeLuca began the season at Double-A Tulsa but recently forced his promotion to Oklahoma City, where he has since posted a .945 on-base plus slugging percentage in 16 games. He should slot into Thompson’s platoon role facing the majority of left-handed pitchers.
Against southpaws, DeLuca hit .362/.423/.681 between Tulsa and OKC this year. Overall between the two Minor League levels, DeLuca hit .297/.378/.583 with 14 home runs, 37 RBI, 40 runs scored, 11 doubles, one triple and 12 stolen bases.
Across his Minor League career, DeLuca has batted .268/.353/.524 with 62 home runs, 60 doubles, 13 triples, 185 RBI, 208 runs scored and 58 stolen bases.
He was ranked as the Dodgers’ No. 20 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, with a future value of 45 on the 20-80 scouting scale, which projects him as a backup outfielder long-term.
Dodgers added Jonny DeLuca to 40-man roster
DeLuca was added to the Dodgers 40-man roster during the offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.
The right-handed hitter has above-average power and good speed with quality defense at all three outfield spots. DeLuca was originally selected by the Dodgers in the 25th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of Oregon.
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