The Los Angeles Dodgers have made a roster move just ahead of Saturday's game against the New York Yankees. Phil Bickford, who made an appearance in Friday's win over the Yankees, has been placed on the injured list with what the team is calling lower back tightness. Tayler Scott, who's been on the taxi squad since Friday, is taking Bickford's spot on the active roster.
Scott was recalled a few weeks ago, but never made it into a game. This time around, though, it seems like he may have a slightly longer stay in the majors, and should get an opportunity to play.
In 19 appearances at Triple-A this season, Scott has an impressive 1.37 ERA. Hopefully he's able to translate that to the MLB when he faces big league competition.
As for Bickford, the timing of this injury is definitely interesting. Bickford has struggled mightily all year long, and especially as of late. He's allowed 10 earned runs in his last 6.1 innings pitched, and has a 7.33 ERA on the season.
Bickford may be dealing with some back tightness, but to me it sounds like more of a phantom IL situation. Bickford is all out of minor league options, so the only way the Dodgers could have gotten him off the roster would have been via a DFA.
This way, the Dodgers don't have to designate Bickford for assignment, and can instead place him on the injured list, and not have to worry about him taking up a spot on the active roster.
Bickford is still, however, on the 40-man roster, so if the Dodgers need to clear a spot at some point in the near future, he could be a candidate to be moved to the 60-day IL. However, for now, he's going to be out for at least two weeks, and the Dodgers will give Scott an opportunity at the big league level.
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