The Los Angeles Dodgers made a move to address their catching depth.
Los Angeles placed starting catcher Will Smith on the injured list, retroactive to Monday, with neck inflammation. Following Smith being placed on the IL, the Dodgers signed former Toronto Blue Jays catching prospect Hayden Gilliland and assigned him to the Tulsa Drillers, the Double-A affiliate of Los Angeles, according to the transactions page.
Toronto signed Gilliland in 2024 as an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee Tech. However, the Blue Jays released him on June 9, and just three days later, he signed with the Dodgers and was actually promoted to Double-A.
Gilliland had been playing in High-A in the Blue Jays system for the Vancouver Canadians. In 28 games with Vancouver, he hit .228 with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs, and his release does seem a bit of a surprise, especially with how thin Toronto is at catching.
Yet, the Dodgers snapped him up to add depth to the system following Smith’s injury.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, will kick off a three-game road series against the Chicago White Sox on Friday.
More to come.
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