The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Caleb Ferguson on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 17, and selected the contract of Trayce Thompson. To make room for Thompson on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers transferred Walker Buehler to the 60-day IL.
Ferguson was placed on the IL with left forearm tendinitis. The Dodgers needed to remove a pitcher from their roster with MLB’s enforcement of the 13-pitcher limit that began on Monday.
The 25-year-old has appeared in just six games this season, pitching five innings and giving up no runs or hits. However, Ferguson struggled with command, walking four batters in his brief sample on the mound.
This is the southpaw’s first season back from Tommy John surgery and he didn’t make an appearance until the middle of May after starting the season on the 10-day IL. Ferguson was also optioned back to Triple-A following his season debut before being recalled in early June.
Thompson was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Tigers to provide the club with right-handed hitting outfield depth while Mookie Betts is out with a fractured rib.
Thompson is back with the Dodgers after last playing for the club in 2017. Over parts of two seasons with L.A., he hit a combined .207/.287/.407 with 13 doubles, 14 home runs and 34 RBI in 107 games.
Thompson suffered what was ultimately discovered to be multiple fractured vertebrae in his back, and he didn’t play after July 10, 2017. The complex injury wound up derailing Thompson’s time with the organization.
After bouncing around with the New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres, Thompson sign a Minor League contract with the Tigers and was assigned to their Triple-A Toledo affiliate.
The 31-year-old hit .299/.352/.639 with seven doubles, eight home runs and 19 RBI across 25 games with the Mud Hens.
Buehler underwent elbow surgery
Buehler underwent arthroscopic surgery last week to remove a bone spur from his right elbow. The operation does not impact Buehler’s timeline for a return from a strained right flexor tendon that forced him to the 15-day IL.
“It was something that I’ve dealt with for a long time, and given that rest and rehab was 10 to 12 weeks, and having the spur removed was 10 to 12 weeks, as a group we decided to just go ahead and get it done,” Buehler said of the elbow surgery.
Transferring Buehler to the 60-day IL also doesn’t impact his timeline and was purely a paper move to make room for Thompson.
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