June 21st, 2022 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka When Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts landed on the injured list with a cracked rib after his June 15th collision with centerfielder Cody Bellinger, it became immediately apparent that Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman would have to do something to find a temporary (two to four-week) replacement for the future Hall of Famer.
The problem, of course, is that guys with five Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers, former MLB MVPs, former batting title champions, and two-time World Series champions (i.e., future Hall of Famers) don’t grow on trees.
This, of course, brought about tons of speculation as to what Friedman and the Dodgers would do to replace the best defensive right fielder in the game today; up to and including trading away the franchise’s top prospects – a terrifying thought.
But as he has done so many times in the past, the magician that is Andrew Friedman pulled yet another rabbit out of his hat – he acquired former Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson from the Detroit Tigers for (wait for it…) cash considerations. In other words, Friedman got a temporary (two to four-week) replacement for Betts without losing any prospects.
Obviously, Thompson – the brother of four-time NBA Champion Klay Thompson of the (current) NBA Champion Golden State Warriors – can’t hold a candle to Betts on either side of the ball; in fact, it isn’t even close.
In the 60 games in which Betts appeared prior to his June 15 injury, the Nashville, TN native and fifth-round draft pick in 2011 by the Boston Red Sox out of Overton High School in Nashville was slashing .273/.362/.517/.879 with a team-best 17 home runs and a team second-best 40 RBI (behind Trea Turner‘s 49).
Thompson, on the other hand, was slashing .071/.188/.071/.259 prior to his May 19 free agent signing by the Detroit Tigers after the San Diego Padres did not re-sign him. He appeared in only six games with the Padres this season and had yet to appear in a game with the Tigers.
Although the Thompson acquisition was well-received by some, it was not well-received by others, and understandably so. Although a fan-favorite for some, his .207/.287/.407/.694 two-year slash line with the Dodgers in 2016 and 2017 didn’t/doesn’t excite others. He did, however, hit a combined 14 home runs and drove in 34 during his previous time in LA, so there’s that.
All of this said, as of this writing Thompson has not yet been added to the Dodgers 40-man roster. That, however, will probably happen prior to first pitch of the Dodgers three-game series opener against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday afternoon/evening.
Play Ball!
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Not a very exciting move but a reasonable temporary band-aid until Mookie comes back. At least he is a good defensive outfielder. Hard to believe we don’t have any one down on the farm that could be called up to patch the hole.
Ohio
I thought we would go after nelson Cruz to play DH. Put belly in CF CT3 in RF and Lux in LF. Still might happen.
We have 3 players at OKC-AAA worth considering:
1) McKinstry who can play OF,SS,2B,3B and has a .414 OBP at OKC. (re-called June 19).
2) Lamb who is a 1B and could DH behind Freeman. ,404 OBP at OKC w some power.
3) Martin plays RF and sports a .394 OBP with some power.
I know minor league stats translate downward when you go to both the big leagues and Dodger Stadium in general, but I believe the Dodgers need some respite with 3 of our mainstays hitting far below their norms and 20-30% below LEAGUE AVERAGE. (That’s Bellinger, Muncy and Justin Turner). We can’t score with a hole that wide in the lineup and if we can just squeeze AVERAGE performance from 3 other players we improve run production immediately.
And why is Roberts insisting on batting Lux 9th? He’s be more effective at the 5 or 6 spot because even short of some expected power, he is still an effective hitter, well above average.
Bellinger, Muncy (I know his elbow isn’t right)and JT need to get their swings ironed out. Wasting too many opportunities to score. A big reason we’re 0-5 in extra innings.
You will get no argument from me on all points.
Anybody want a do-over? .317 BA with the Dodgers as of 7/8/22.