The Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Beau Burrows from Triple-A Oklahoma City and recalled shortstop Jacob Amaya before placing him on the 60-day injured list.
The move added Burrows to the 40-man roster, but the club immediately assigned him to Triple-A, where he has spent the entire 2022 season. Burrows is signed to a Minor League contract and would have been eligible to become a free agent, so the roster move could have been made to keep him within the organization following the season.
However, it’s more likely that the two moves are just a way to give the Dodgers more roster flexibility heading into the postseason.
October 5 was the last day teams could add players to the 60-day IL and they are required to have a full 40-man roster in order to do so. With Amaya heading to the 60-day IL, he no longer takes a spot on the 40-man and that spot is now occupied by Burrows.
So if the Dodgers wish to activate a player for the postseason who is currently on the 60-day IL, such as Kevin Pillar or Victor González, they can designate Burrows for assignment to clear a spot rather than losing a player they would prefer to keep in the organization.
With OKC, Burrows pitched 100.1 innings with a 7.18 ERA and 1.82 WHIP along with 95 strikeouts. He holds a career 4.33 ERA in 634 Minor League innings. He has pitched in 11 Major League games over his career, throwing 17.2 innings with a 10.70 ERA, 1.98 WHIP and 11 strikeouts.
Amaya spent his season playing for OKC and Double-A Tulsa, batting .261/.369/.426 with 17 home runs, 71 RBI, 85 runs scored and six stolen bases in 476 at-bats between the two levels. Throughout his Minor League career, he’s hit .256/.361/.392 with 42 home runs, 232 RBI, 298 runs scored and 34 stolen bases while playing plus defense at shortstop.
The Dodgers previously selected his contract in Nov. 2021 to add him to the 40-man roster and protect him from the Rule 5 draft before optioning him to Tulsa in March 2022.
Miguel Vargas, Hanser Alberto likely competing for final spot on Dodgers bench
By all accounts, the Dodgers are down to finalizing a few decisions for their National League Division Series Roster, and some of that is predicated on the health of Dustin May and Blake Treinen. With the position players, it appears Hanser Alberto and Miguel Vargas are vying for the final spot on the bench.
“I think we’re figuring out the backend of that position-player part of it,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “What makes the most sense as far as utility in a five-game series, how games can play out, and what value a few guys might have versus others.
“I don’t really want to use the names. Obviously, Hanser has a lot of value and experience. And obviously Miguel is more dynamic. There’s some things he can do. So just kind of talking through that and trying to figure out what makes the most sense.”
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