Despite Edwin Ríos’ production at the Major League level, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been unable to find much playing time for him since his debut in 2019.
Ríos did make the Opening Day roster last season for the first time in his career, and he continued to produce. In 27 games, he slashed .244/.293/.500 batting line with seven home runs, 17 RBI and a 120 wRC+.
However, the 28-year-old suffered a significant hamstring strain in June that kept him out of action for two months. When he was finally healthy, the Dodgers sent him to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Ríos did not end up making his way back onto the Major League roster after returning from his injury, which left him incredibly disappointed, via Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
“I was like, ‘When this is all over I’m going to go up,’ and that didn’t happen,” Ríos said of his rehab assignment. “Once I got the news that I was getting optioned, it was kind of a punch in the gut. So I got a little frustrated, I would say. Didn’t start hitting as well. I think it was more of a mental thing, kind of like just expecting to go back up and stuff like that.”
Ríos did return to the team as part of their taxi squad for the postseason and participated in the club workouts, but that was all for the slugger as the Dodgers were quickly eliminated in the National League Division Series.
Following the season, the Dodgers non-tendered him, which made him a free agent, rather than going through the arbitration process with him. Although Ríos has shown to be a talented hitter, the decision came due to the team’s surplus of left-handed hitters and no clear fit for him on the roster.
The Dodgers selected Ríos in the sixth round of the 2015 MLB Draft and he was named the team’s Minor League Player of the Year in 2016. In parts of four seasons with the Dodgers, Ríos hit .219/.299/.492 with nine doubles, 20 home runs, 43 RBI across and a 112 wRC+ across 112 games while also helping them win the 2020 World Series.
He recently signed a one-year Major League deal with the Chicago Cubs where he should see a significant increase in playing time. Ríos also thanked the Dodgers organization in a social media post and expressed his excitement to join the Cubs.
David Peralta required back surgery before signing with Dodgers
After finishing out the 2022 season with the Rays, David Peralta went into free agency for the second time in his career. It was a drawn-out process that culminated with signing a one-year contract with the Dodgers that includes incentives.
The slow-developing market appears to have been due in part to Peralta needing back surgery that became necessary to treat a herniated disc.
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