Paul McCartney could have been singing about Trayce Thompson and the Dodgers when he sang, "The long and winding road that leads to your door will never disappear." The outfielder has been an indispensable part of L.A.'s dominant summer, but "long and winding" might be underselling the road that led Trayce back to the Dodgers' door.
Thompson played for the Dodgers in 2016 and 2017. Since then, he's been a part of the following franchises: Yankees, A's, White Sox, Cleveland, DBacks, Cubs, Padres, Tigers, and finally back to Los Angeles. In addition to playing in the big leagues for the A's, White Sox, Cubs, and Padres, Trayce has played in the minors for the Charlotte Knights, Columbus Clippers, Iowa Cubs, Reno Aces, El Paso Chihuahuas, and Toleda Mud Hens since he left the Dodgers in early 2018.
It's not just Thompson's path back to Los Angeles that is reminiscent of the famous Beatles song. The bridge of the song sounds a lot like what Trayce had to say to USA Today's Bob Nightengale last week.
Beatles:
"Many times I've been alone, and many times I've cried. Anyway, you'll never know the many ways I've tried."
Trayce:
“One of the main things I deserve is to go out and have fun.’’ Thompson says, “because I've been to some dark places in this game. I've been in some places that people don't even know about.
“It was never necessarily about quitting, because quitting is not in my nature. It was more so like I don't know if this is going to happen, but I’m going to give it everything I have.
“I’ve been through a lot in my life and my career to get back to this level. I knew, deep down one day, I could do this.’’
It's not hard to root for Trayce Thompson. Everyone left from the 2017 Dodgers was thrilled to have Thompson back this summer, even though no one expected it to last this long. Thompson is a hard worker, an extraordinary athlete, and by all accounts an excellent teammate.
And now, less than five months after being designated for assignment by the Padres, less than four months after toiling away in Toledo because the Tigers couldn't find room for him in the big leagues, Trayce is heading into October to play a huge postseason role for the Dodgers, something he never got a chance to do in his previous stint in L.A.
As Dodgers fans, we couldn't be happier that Thompson's long and winding road eventually led him back to Vin Scully Avenue.
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