The Los Angeles Dodgers transferred Scott Van Slyke to the 60-day disabled list on Thursday as part of the required corresponding moves to clear room for Shawn Zarraga on the active roster.
Luis Avilan was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City in a second move to add Zarraga. He was called up from OKC to fill the backup catcher void for the Dodgers after A.J. Ellis was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. For Van Slyke, the paper move all but guarantees he will not play again in 2016.
He was placed on the 15-day DL earlier this month, and now isn’t eligible to be reinstated until Oct. 7. The Dodgers conclude their regular season on Sunday, Oct. 2.
Should they play in the National League Wild Card Game, that will be on Oct. 5. The NL Division Series is scheduled to begin Oct. 7.
Van Slyke in theory could be reinstated and included on the Dodgers’ potential NLDS and NL Championship Series roster.
However, that’s an unlikely scenario given the amount of time he would have missed with the wrist injury. Less than two weeks ago, season-ending surgery was considered to be a possibility.
That may be the best course of action at this stage as it would afford Van Slyke with ample time to recover for Spring Training. The right-wrist injury is one Van Slyke battled last season and prevented him from being included on the Dodgers’ 2015 NLDS roster.
Like many of his teammates, Van Slyke’s season has been one marred by injury. He was put on the 15-day DL in April with lower back irritation. The issue was later said to be more serious than initially believed, and the 30-year-old didn’t return until early June.
In just 52 games this season, Van Slyke hit .225/.292/.314 with six doubles, one home run and seven RBIs in 113 plate appearances. He will again be eligible for salary arbitration.
