Trayce Thompson has been sidelined since June 4th with a severe oblique strain. The Dodgers transferred him to the 60-day IL shortly after and he hasn't really been heard from since. Like it or not, the outfielder has finally reemerged and is on the comeback trail for LA.
Earlier week, the Dodgers sent Thompson to their spring training complex in Arizona to begin a rehab assignment. He went 2-5 with an RBI in his first game for the rookie ball team.
Thompson, a team favorite, received many playing opportunities after hitting three home runs against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third game of the 2023 season.
After that unforgettable game, Thompson struggled mightily offensively. This season, he has a .155 batting average with 5 home runs and 11 RBI. In 36 games, he has 37 strikeouts. It seemed like when the Dodgers needed a hit from Thompson; he struck out.
The Dodgers desperately want a right-handed hitting outfielder to go with their left-handed hitting outfielders of Jason Heyward, James Outman, and David Peralta. Earlier this month, the Dodgers signed Jake Marisnick to fill their desired role, but this week he suffered a strained hamstring and is expected to miss at least three weeks with the injury.
The Dodgers don’t want rookie Jonny DeLuca to occupy that role on the bench. The major leagues don’t have many left-handed pitchers, so the right-handed hitting outfielder won’t receive much playing time.
No promising rookie like DeLuca should be rotting on the bench.
Unless the Dodgers can trade for another right-hand hitting outfielder at the deadline, Dodger fans will see journeyman Thompson if he recovers from his oblique strain.
The outfielder is eligible to come off on August 3rd at the earliest.
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