When Cody Bellinger sustained what was discovered to be a fractured in his left fibula during the first week of the 2021 regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers called up Luke Raley from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take his roster spot.
Raley made his MLB debut in the Dodgers’ home opener and wound up being among the players the team shuffled on and off the roster with some frequency. Raley struggled to gain much traction while up with the Dodgers, which was a common theme for the bench as a whole.
Nevertheless, Raley was with the Dodgers for the Wild Card Game but removed once they advanced to the National League Division Series.
Although he was in the lineup for the Dodgers’ Cactus League opener on Friday, Raley was a late scratch due to being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for Minor League pitcher Tanner Dodson.
Raley leaves the Dodgers organization for a second time, as he was included in the 2018 trade to acquire Brian Dozier from the Minnesota Twins. Raley then returned to L.A. — packaged with Brusdar Graterol — when the Dodgers traded Kenta Maeda, Jair Camargo and cash considerations to Minnesota.
Dodgers free up roster spot with Raley trade
Dodson was not on the Twins’ 40-man roster, which allows the Dodgers to clear a spot on theirs by trading Raley.
Dodson has some experience playing the outfield but he’s primarily been used as a pitcher. While pitching at High-A and Double-A last year, Dodson went a combined 5-2 with a 3.20 ERA over 37 games (one start).
Doson was selected by the Rays with the No. 71 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.
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