The Los Angeles Dodgers claimed Rylan Bannon off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles, which brings their 40-man roster full.
Bannon was designated for assignment last week, which had not been publicly reported. He appeared in just four games for the Orioles this season, going 2-for-14 with five strikeouts. He hit .229/.347/.407 with 14 doubles, 11 home runs and 58 RBI over 78 games with Triple-A Norfolk.
Bannon has yet to reach the Major League level and enjoyed his best success in 2019, batting .266/.345/.421 with 32 doubles, 11 home runs and 59 RBI across two levels during the Minor League season.
Baltimore subsequently added Bannon to their 40-man roster in order to protect him from potentially getting selected in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft.
The 26-year-old has primarily played third base, but has experience at second base well. He likely will report to Triple-A Oklahoma City and serve as organizational depth for the Dodgers.
Justin Turner is expected to be activated off the 10-day injured list Tuesday, and in the meantime the Dodgers relied on Max Muncy at third base. Hanser Alberto Gavin Lux and Muncy have seen time at second base.
Chris Taylor made one start at the position but could be play more infield moving forward. If there are injuries or the Dodgers look to provide their regular players with rest, Bannon could be part of the equation to fill in.
Bannon part of Dodgers trade for Machado
The Dodgers claiming Bannon marks a return to the organization that selected him in the eighth round of the 2017 MLB Draft.
Bannon was then included in the July 2018 trade with the Orioles that sent Manny Machado to the Dodgers. In addition to Bannon, Baltimore received Yusniel Díaz, Dean Kremer, Breyvic Valera and Zach Pop.
Díaz is still with the Orioles organization and made his MLB debut this season, Kremer has been up with Baltimore over parts of three seasons since 2020, Valera has bounced around and was released by the Toronto Blue Jays last year, and Pop broke into the big leagues with the Miami Marlins last season but was traded at the deadline.
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