The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Kevin Pillar on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder fracture and recalled Zach McKinstry from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Pillar was removed in the sixth inning of the Dodgers’ loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the series finale on Wednesday and after the game manager Dave Roberts revealed the veteran outfielder was dealing with a shoulder issue and would undergo testing on Thursday.
“On a swing, I think in that at-bat, his left shoulder came out and then came back in. He’s dislocated it before and had surgery. And then on the slide, the same thing happened,” Roberts said.
“So [Thursday] he’s going to get a scan to see what happened or if there is any damage. He’ll be down, we’re going to wait to IL him and we’re going to see how it goes. He’s day-to-day, but [Thursday] he’ll be unavailable and then we’ll see where we go from there.”
Prior to leaving the game, Pillar doubled for his first hit with the Dodgers. He was 0-for-11 up to that point.
Pillar signed a Minor League contract with the Dodgers during Spring Training because of his belief the organization was the best fit at this stage in his career. Pillar had a strong showing during the spring and made a case for a roster spot but began the season with Oklahoma City.
The 33-year-old is a career .259/.296/.408 with a .302 wOBA and 87 wRC+, but he has been known more for his defensive value in the outfield.
Dodgers recall McKinstry for fourth time
McKinstry is back with the club for the fourth time this season but he has thus far only appeared in two games with one plate appearance. In Triple-A, the utility man has been swinging a hot bat, hitting .338/.424/.464 with a .399 wOBA and 131 wRC+ across 38 games.
Although MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA) agreed to limit the number of times a player can be optioned to five times, McKinstry’s official total is still only at one because the count was delayed during the first month of the season due to expanded rosters.
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