CINCINNATI — The Dodgers are dealing with more injuries to their lineup.
As a result, one of their top prospects will get his first big-league opportunity this week.
Alex Freeland, the top-ranked infielder in the Dodgers’ farm system, was called up on Tuesday after Hyeseong Kim was placed on the injured list with left shoulder bursitis.
Freeland’s arrival also comes after Tommy Edman had his lingering ankle injury flare up on him Sunday while rounding the bases.
On Monday night, manager Dave Roberts confirmed Freeland was scheduled to join the Dodgers in Cincinnati while they decided which, if either, of Kim or Edman would go on the IL.
“He’s going to come and we’ll see what direction we go, with who,” Roberts said after the Dodgers’ series-opening win against the Cincinnati Reds. “We’re just kind of trying to figure out … if we do need to make a move for one of those guys.”
The official news came down on Tuesday afternoon. Kim was placed on the IL. Edman, while remaining on the active roster, went through pregame drills on the field with a Dodgers trainer.
Freeland, a third-round pick in 2022 out of the University of Central Florida, is the team’s No. 3 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline and the 35th-ranked prospect in baseball.
The 23-year-old switch-hitter has spent all season with triple-A Oklahoma City, where he has batted .253 with 12 home runs, 71 RBIs and .799 OPS in 94 games.
Now, he’ll get his first crack at the big-league roster, trying to help alleviate the Dodgers’ latest injury headache.
In the short term, Kim’s shoulder injury was the more pressing issue.
The South Korean rookie has struggled mightily at the plate lately, with an 0-for-3 performance Monday leaving him just three for 24 since July 19.
“You can just see offensively with the bat, he’s just not himself right now,” Roberts said.
Dodgers infielder Hyeseong Kim, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, has struggled at the plate in recent games.
(Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)
Edman, however, represents another long-term concern for the Dodgers to manage, with his ankle injury lingering since early May.
“It’s something that’s kind of always there,” Edman said. “But I would say it’s been pretty normal.”
At least it was until Sunday, when Edman said he “had a little tweak of it” while running the bases at Fenway Park.
While Edman was not available for Monday’s game, he maintained optimism he could avoid what would be a second injured list this season and be back in the lineup Tuesday.
“I don’t feel like this is that big a deal,” he said. “I was just at a point where I didn’t feel like I could run full speed today. I got some good treatment today so hopefully I’ll be back available tomorrow.”
Still, the Dodgers could decide that an extended break for the utilityman is warranted — especially since he has been unable to play outfield while trying to manage his injury.
“Obviously, if I couldn’t hit him tonight, for him to not to be able to play three innings of defense, isn’t a great feeling,” Roberts said.
Freeland’s arrival will at least give the Dodgers a different look for the time being.
A native of Louisville, Ken., he made a major jump up the Dodgers’ farm system last year, when he progressed from high A to triple A while batting .260 across three minor-league levels.
A disciplined hitter with 228 career walks in 345 career minor-league games, Freeland has received high marks for his defense at shortstop and third base. He also has 81 steals over his four minor-league seasons.
In addition to Kim and Edman, the Dodgers have spent the last month without Max Muncy (who is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment in his recovery from a knee injury this week) and Kiké Hernández (who remains shut down from baseball activity after recently having a couple non-surgical “little procedures,” as Roberts called them, on an elbow injury that has bothered him since late May).
How have the Dodgers toed the line between managing injuries and trying to keep their best players on the field?
“That’s the thing that, it is a blurred line,” Roberts said. “The players obviously feel that they’re not hurt, where they can play and post, which is great. But the line of, are you still hurting the team, hurting yourself, that’s the thing that the organization, the training staff, we’ve got to make that decision.”
On Tuesday, they did, shelving Kim and calling up Freeland as they try to navigate another injury-plagued chapter of their season.
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