The Los Angeles Dodgers transferred Grant Dayton to the 60-day disabled list on Friday as part of creating room on their 40-man roster in order to add O’Koyea Dickson, Andre Ethier and Alex Verdugo. Brett Eibner and Luis Ysla were designated for assignment as the other two moves.
Dayton underwent Tommy John surgery this week, which ended his 2017 season. After making his MLB debut and making notable contributions for the Dodgers in 2016, this year was one marred by injury.
Dayton was placed on the 10-day disabled list in the middle of April due to a left intercostal strain. He came off the DL 11 days after the stint began, then spent time with the Dodgers and Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The left-handed reliever was twice forced to the disabled list in July due to neck stiffness. He was on the mound to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Tulsa but was removed while warming up for the start.
The Dodgers sent Dayton for an MRI on his throwing elbow, followed up by a second exam. It was then determined he required surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL).
Injuries limited Dayton to just 29 games with the Dodgers and five relief appearances with Oklahoma City this season. He went 1-1 with a 4.94 ERA, 5.72 FIP and 1.31 WHIP in the Majors, and sported a 7.71 ERA and 2.14 WHIP in Triple-A.
A general baseline for recovery from Tommy John surgery is 12 months, but the Dodgers tend to err on the side of caution, which may result in the 29-year-old not returning until upwards of 14 months.
