The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Phil Bickford on the 15-day injured list due to lower back tightness and recalled Tayler Scott from Triple-A Oklahoma City roughly one hour before first pitch against the New York Yankees on Saturday.
Scott was on the Dodgers’ taxi squad Friday in the event the team needed to make a roster move. Although that didn’t come to be, Scott remained at Dodger Stadium.
“We might have a potential IL move with one of our relievers,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said prior to the roster move being announced. “So if that comes to pass, then Tayler will be active.”
Scott is up with the Dodgers for a second time this season. He initially joined the team May 22 when Clayton Kershaw was placed on bereavement leave. The right-handed relief pitcher did not appear in a game before getting sent back to Oklahoma City when Kershaw returned four days later.
While with OKC this season, Scott has gone 3-0 with a 1.37 ERA and 25 strikeouts against 10 walks in 19.2 innings pitched across 19 relief appearances.
Scott has spent parts of two seasons in the Majors with the Seattle Mariners (2019), Baltimore Orioles (2019) and San Diego Padres (2022). He’s a combined 0-1 with an 11.12 ERA in 21 games (two starts) during that span.
The Dodgers signed Scott to a Minor League contract on January 3, 2023. Scott and Gift Ngoepe are the only South African-born players in MLB history. Ngoepe made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017 and also played in 13 games for the Toronto Blue Jays the following year.
Phil Bickford struggles since saving Dodgers
Bickford heads to the IL after pitching to a 7.33 ERA through 23 appearances this season. He had a 5.40 ERA and 2.44 FIP in 15 games before throwing a season-high three innings against the Minnesota Twins on May 15.
Since shouldering that heavy workload to preserve the Dodgers bullpen in extra innings, Bickford has allowed at least two runs in four of his last seven appearances.
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