Dodgers recall outfielder Toles, option Taylor

CINCINNATI -- The Dodgers recalled outfielder Andrew Toles on Sunday, optioning infielder Chris Taylor to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Toles, the Dodgers' No. 28 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, has done nothing but hit in 2016. Among three Minor League levels, Toles has a .331/.374/.511 slash line with seven homers, 39 extra-base hits and 55 runs scored in 82 games. He's also stolen 23 bases.
Toles had a stint in the Majors earlier in the season, batting .316 with a hit in nine of his 16 appearances.
"With Tolesy, he's been swinging the bat really well," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "To get him up here today against [Reds starter] Anthony DeSclafani, get him in the lineup, he's one of their better pitchers -- if not their best pitcher -- right-hander, so I think that it just makes sense for us and gives us a better chance to get Toles in the lineup today."
The move to option Taylor comes a day after he made his 12th start of the season, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in an 11-1 loss to the Reds. Taylor, acquired from the Mariners on June 19 for pitcher Zach Lee, was in his second stint with the Major League club after being optioned on Aug. 7 and recalled two days later. Taylor appeared in 29 of the Dodgers' last 44 games, hitting .218 in 55 at-bats.
"Chris, he's done a fine job and it's tough role when you're not in there every day," Roberts said. "I think for Chris, No. 1 is to go down there to Oklahoma City and get consistent at-bats and to sharpen up again for September."
Worth noting
• Outfielder Andre Ethier is "getting closer" to a return to the Dodgers. According to Roberts, Ethier has been hitting live pitching and running at about 75 percent for around a week. However, there is still no timetable for Ethier to go out on a rehab assignment.
"He is getting closer to joining us. He is taking at-bats off live arms. He's taking balls off the bat. He's running. He's running bases," Roberts said. "To say when he's going to go out on rehab, I'm not sure."