Los Angeles Dodgers DFA Former Cardinal

The Los Angeles Dodgers welcomed Max Muncy back from the IL on Monday night after he missed the past month with a left knee injury. They also placed former Stanford Cardinal Tommy Edman on the IL with a sprained ankle, his second time on the IL for the injury. He aggravated it on Sunday in Tampa while running the bases.

While he got off to a career-best start, Edman has slowed down of late, and is batting .228 with a .281 OBP on the year, and is sitting one back of his career-high of 13 home runs. The 30-year-old has played all around the field for the Dodgers this season, most recently getting time at second, third, and in center.

With the return of Muncy, Los Angeles now has the personnel to allow Edman to rest up to make sure that he's ready for October. Dave Roberts told reporters that there is no timetable for his return, and that the team will make sure that Edman has enough time so he doesn't have another setback.

He did win the NLCS MVP last October, so having him fully ready to go is going to be important for the Dodgers as they look to become the first back-to-back champions since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000.

One player that won't be making that journey with them is former fifth round pick Jack Little. The 27-year-old was designated for assignment by the club on Monday to clear a spot on the 40-man for first baseman Luken Baker. Little is also a former Stanford product, and in his MLB debut against the San Diego Padres, he hit Fernando Tatís Jr., which led to the benches clearing.

Little made two appearances out of the LA bullpen, totaling three innings of work and giving up four hits and two earned runs, while hitting a batter, walking a batter, and striking out a pair. That debut was a two-inning performance, while in his second outing he worked a scoreless frame before being optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

In the minors, Little has gone 5-4 with a 4.64 ERA in 36 outings spanning 42 2/3 innings. He's walked 19 and struck out 39 while holding a 1.36 ERA in relief.

As for Baker, he was claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals, the Dodger opponent to begin this week. Baker is 28 and a former 75th overall selection by the Cardinals out of TCU. He has appeared in 73 games with St. Louis over the past three seasons, batting a cumulative .206 with a .317 OBP and four home runs.

In 19 games this season, he has put up his best numbers in The Show, batting .235 with a .366 on-base, while walking seven times and striking out ten. In 2023 and 2024 in the minor leagues, he hit a combined 65 home runs, though he's managed just ten this season while hitting .196. Now that he's with the Dodgers, he'll have access to more information, which could lead to a bit of a breakout.

The only position he has played in the minor leagues has been first base and DH, while he did spend his freshman year with TCU in 2016 as a pitcher, starting ten games and holding a 1.70 ERA. He also hit 11 home runs that season while batting .379 with a 1.060 OPS.