LOS ANGELES — One day after imploring his team to play with a sense of urgency, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts moved to set the example.
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The lineup for Tuesday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals had something of a new look, with Freddie Freeman back in the No. 2 spot of the order for the first time since June 7 and Teoscar Hernandez getting a day off against right-hander Michael Wacha.
Freeman’s 20th turn in the No. 2 hole was also a nod to a right-handed starter on the mound and the arrangement will start to become more frequent over the final seven weeks of the regular season.
“I just think that I’ve given it enough time (while) trying to figure out what potentially could work, but I like Freddie in the two, certainly versus right-handed pitching for the foreseeable future,” Roberts said.
The No. 2 spot has changed hands this season from Kyle Tucker on Opening Day, to Freeman at the start of May. Mookie Betts had a short run there before Andy Pages took over in late May.
Entering Tuesday’s game, though, Pages had a .267 batting average and a .347 on-base percentage over his previous 23 games. Freeman had a .439 batting average and a .456 on-base percentage over his previous 17 games since July 22.
If Freeman has lacked anything it has been power. His last home run heading into Tuesday was July 4, leaving him without one for 29 games.
Hernandez’s day to observe came after he had just one hit over the previous six games with seven strikeouts over the stretch. Since June 30, Hernandez was batting .193 with four home runs, 10 RBIs and 30 strikeouts. He is batting just .238 against right-handed pitching this season.
“Versus right just hasn’t been to his standard, our standard,” Roberts said.
Alex Call was in left field on Tuesday, while making a start for the first time since July 21.
Tuesday is not the start of a platoon between Hernandez and Call, but Hernandez’s off days against right-handers will increase for the time being.
“I expect the performance to tick up versus right,” Roberts said. “And so, yeah, I just think here and there giving him a day off versus right, I’m going to do that to introduce other people (into the lineup), but he’ll be in there versus left.”
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IN THE SWING
Catcher Dalton Rushing, who has been on the injured list with elbow discomfort since Aug. 3, returned to swinging a bat on Monday and is optimistic he will return pain-free before the end of the season.
Rushing confirmed that surgery is not in the plan right now.
“So yeah, we’re going to rehab the muscle on the inside of my forearm and the details as to timeline, I don’t really have any for you,” Rushing said. “But at the same time, I can say it feels 10 times better than it did a week ago. And as soon as I can be throwing a baseball, I will be.”
Rushing feels as if time is on his side.
“If I can throw, I’m going to be able to catch, so I’m not too worried about it,” he said. “And we’ve got two months at least of playing baseball, and that’s what I’m going to worry about at the moment. And when the season’s over with, and we have another World Series, then we can worry about what the next step is.”
TWO BLAKES
In order to get left-hander Blake Snell on the active roster for his second start of the season, right-handed reliever Blake Treinen was moved to the 60-day injured list. Treinen has been out since June 19 with right elbow inflammation.
To open a spot on the active roster, left-handed reliever Charlie Barnes was optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City after he was recalled on Monday.
Treinen has not experienced a setback in his rehab program, but he was not going to be ready to return in the 60-day window, which extends into next week.
Treinen is in good spirits, according to Roberts, and could be ready to face hitters in a simulated game setting during the upcoming weekend. There remains no timetable for his return to the active roster.
ALSO
Roberts said the elbow injury that has right-hander Will Klein on the IL has been diagnosed as bone spurs with the reliever intent on returning this season. … The Dodgers are a top-10 team when it comes to runs gained on ABS challenges while hitting, but it’s understanding when to challenge that has raised concerns. “I had conversations with several players,” Roberts said. “… (It is) really understanding consequences, and trying to really get a clarity on leverage, when it’s the right time to do it.” Roberts said he has not ruled out telling certain players not to challenge if they are unable to understand the best time to do it.
UP NEXT
Royals (LHP Daniel Lynch IV, 4-3, 2.45 ERA) at Dodgers (LHP Eric Lauer, 6-6, 4.89 ERA), Wednesday, 7:10 p.m., Spectrum SportsNet, 570 AM, 1020 AM
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