Dodgers activate Chris Taylor, place Clayton Kershaw on IL
LOS ANGELES –The Los Angeles Dodgers activated infielder/outfielder Chris Taylor from the injured list, recalled right-handed pitcher Reyes Moronta, optioned outfielder James Outman and placed left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw on the injured list with low back pain.
Taylor, 31, returns from the injured list after missing a month with a left foot fracture. He has played in 74 games this season and he is batting .238 with 19 doubles, six homers and 27 RBI. He made two rehab appearances with Oklahoma City, batting .429 (3-for-7) with two homers and three RBI. He has spent parts of nine seasons in the Major Leagues with Seattle (2014-2016) and Los Angeles (2016-2022) and he is a career .259 hitter with 85 home runs and 336 RBI. He was originally drafted by the Mariners in the fifth round of the 2012 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Virginia and was acquired by the Dodgers on June 19, 2016, in exchange for right-handed pitcher Zach Lee.
Moronta, 29, returns for his fifth stint with the Dodgers and he is 0-0 with a 4.67 ERA (9 ER/17.1 IP) and 20 strikeouts in 16 games this season for the Dodgers. He is in his fifth Major League season, and he is a combined 8-9 with a 2.89 ERA (48 ER/149.2 IP) and 182 strikeouts against 81 walks with San Francisco (2017-2021) and Los Angeles (2022). With Triple-A Oklahoma City, he was 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA (3 ER/10.0 IP) and 17 strikeouts in 11 games. He was signed as a minor league free agent with the Dodgers on March 12, 2022.
Kershaw, 34, heads to the injured list for the second time this season. He pitched yesterday, tossing 4.0 innings, allowing two runs before exiting in the bottom of the fifth inning with low back pain. The nine-time All-Star is 7-3 on the season with a 2.64 ERA (25 ER/85.1 IP) and 88 strikeouts in 15 starts. In his Hall of Fame career, he is a combined 192-87 with a 2.49 ERA (704 ER/2540.0 IP) and 2,758 strikeouts in 394 career games. He was originally drafted by the Dodgers with the seventh overall pick in the 2006 First Year Player Draft out of Highland Park High School.
Outman, 25, appeared in four games with the Dodgers and he batted .462 (6-for-13) with one homer and three RBI. On Sunday in Colorado, he became the first player in Dodger history to record three hits, a homer, three RBI and two runs scored in his Major League debut. The Sacramento native began his season with Double-A Tulsa, hitting .295 (77-for-261) with 17 doubles, 16 homers ad 45 RBI. He was promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City on June 29 and he has appeared in 22 games for the OKC, hitting .225 (18-for-80) with five homers and 24 RBI. In four minor league seasons with the Dodgers, he is a combined .256 hitter with 69 homers and 212 RBI. Last season, he was an Arizona Fall League All-Star, slashing .284/.422/.552 with three homers and 11 RBI in 24 games for the Glendale Desert Dogs. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2018 First Year Player Draft out of Sacramento State University.