LOS ANGELES — It’s an uncertain weekend across the baseball landscape.
The trade deadline arrives at 3 p.m. PT on Monday, leaving players around the major leagues – and minors – to wonder what uniform they might be putting on come Tuesday.
The Dodgers are expected to be high-end buyers with two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal in their sights. But three players in their current clubhouse – left-hander Eric Lauer, outfielder Alex Call and right-hander Emmet Sheehan (Sunday’s scheduled starter) – could be on the move.
“It’s sort of a year-to-year, case-by-case basis,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said about addressing the team or at least certain players about the uncertainty. “This year, I don’t feel the need. Obviously there are certain players that people are talking about.”
At this point, Call seems to be the most certain to be on the move. The trade deadline market is thin on right-handed hitters this year and both the Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers have reportedly expressed interest in Call.
Acquired from the Washington Nationals at last year’s deadline, Call has hit .246 as a role player for the Dodgers. Notably, he has not been in the starting lineup Friday or Saturday despite the Boston Red Sox starting left-handed pitchers both days.
“He’s just been such a great teammate. I love the player, love the guy,” Roberts said, sounding at least a little like a farewell message. “I’m just trying to get Kiké back in the mix and with what Miggy (Rojas) has done all year for us – there’s certain guys that play every day. … But there’s still guys that need to play.”
COMING SOON
The Dodgers’ deadline decisions will be impacted by the progress of the injured players they have returning in the days (or weeks) ahead.
Both pitchers Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are scheduled to make rehab starts on Tuesday – Snell with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Glasnow with Class-A Ontario.
For Snell, it will be his fourth and final rehab start before rejoining the Dodgers’ rotation. Glasnow, on the other hand, is making his first rehab start after being sidelined by back problems since leaving his May 6 start in Houston after just one inning.
Right-hander Blake Treinen threw live batting practice to hitters Saturday and should start a rehab assignment next week as well.
“Blake was good. It looked like he was throwing wiffle balls up there,” Roberts said. “I thought the command was really good. Didn’t see a lot of sweepers, but the velocity of the fastball, four-seamer, two-seamer, was really good.
“I think there will be a flat ground (throwing session), maybe a ’pen but then to go out (on a rehab assignment) seems like the next logical, sensible step.”
Meanwhile, catcher Will Smith has increased his workouts this week. There is still no timeline for when he will return or how his progression will go from here. He has been out since June 5 with an inflamed disc in his neck.
“It’s day to day,” Roberts said of the progress. “I know Will is anxious to get back out there. But there still has to be a progression and games played. I just don’t see it before three or four weeks.”
ROSTER MOVES
Pitcher Brock Stewart was placed on the injured list on Friday with a sore shoulder. An MRI on Saturday showed tendonitis. Given Stewart’s history of shoulder issues (including surgery last fall), any issue there is concerning.
“Yeah, the same feeling I’ve dealt with for a long time in my career, probably half of my big-league career, but not as serious,” Stewart said Saturday. “I just noticed it coming on a little bit. And then wanted to wait a couple days, see if it went away. But it didn’t. And it didn’t necessarily get worse, but it just didn’t go away.
“I think we’re just going to try to take care of it now, as opposed to delaying that process and then maybe messing with playoffs and all that. So hopefully get it taken care of now and put myself in a better position to help out for the rest of the way.”
Stewart called it “super frustrating” to go on the IL for the third time this season.
“I’ve been through this, as you guys know, a lot. … It’s almost embarrassing,” Stewart said. “I’d like to think that I do everything in my power to stay healthy and help out. I know I’m proud of the work I put in each day, and that’s all I can really control. Other than that, I mean, I can’t really control how my arm reacts.
“Just frustrating, especially after last year having it cleaned up, and the shoulder felt good all season.”
On Saturday, the Dodgers shuffled their bullpen, adding Kyle Hurt and Wyatt Mills from Triple-A. Cole Irvin’s reward for eating six innings on Friday was to get designated for assignment the next day.
Will Klein was moved to the IL with elbow discomfort. Klein has been struggling recently, allowing runs in each of his past six appearances, a stretch that saw him allow 13 runs (eight earned) on nine hits and eight walks in 6⅓ innings.
UP NEXT
Red Sox (LHP Jake Bennett, 6-4, 2.74 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Emmet Sheehan, 4-7, 4.95 ERA), Sunday, 4:20 p.m., NBC (Ch. 4)/Peacock, 570 AM