The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that ahead of the second game of their doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants, they have called up outfielder Alex Verdugo and optioned reliever Scott Alexander to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Verdugo is batting seventh and playing right field in Saturday night’s game, replacing Yasiel Puig, who injured his ankle in the first game.
The 21-year-old is off to a solid start with Oklahoma City so far this season, slashing .276/.309/.474 with four home runs, three doubles and 15 RBI in 19 games.
He made his Major League debut as a September call-up in 2017, although he struggled in the short amount of playing time he got. In 15 games, he hit .174/.240/.304 with one home run.
The Dodgers traded for Alexander this past offseason, acquiring him from the Kansas City Royals in a three-way deal with the Chicago White Sox.
He got off to a rocky start to the season, struggling with his command in his 11 appearances. In 11.1 inning he has pitched to a 6.35 ERA and 1.85 WHIP, striking out seven compared to nine walks.
Alexander has five years of team control remaining, so this is surely not that last Dodger fans will see of him. He should benefit greatly from going down to Oklahoma City to get his command issues worked out and will likely be back in the big leagues at some point this season.
If Puig is forced to head to the disabled list then it is possible that Verdugo sees a majority of the time in right field while he is out. Matt Kemp is also not in the lineup on Saturday after suffering a quad injury on Friday, so he could also see time in left field.
