HOUSTON – As the hours wind down before this year’s in-season trade deadline Tuesday, the Dodgers could be either buyers or sellers.
As buyers, they would like to add an “impact-type” player and are “targeting starting pitching,” as GM Brandon Gomes acknowledged earlier this week.
But if they can’t, be prepared for them to sell the idea of the injured players they have working their way back as the equivalent of mid-season acquisitions.
“Everything that we’re doing, we’re in the fortunate position in the division that right now we can make more of those focused plays and then especially the time horizon with a lot of our injured guys getting to a point where we should be hopefully getting back to full strength here sometime soon,” Gomes said.
That position in the division isn’t as fortunate as it had been. Going into Sunday’s games, the Padres had pulled within 5 ½ games by winning seven consecutive games. That is the smallest the Dodgers’ lead in the division has been since May.
“Yes,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday when asked if he felt the Dodgers needed to make a move before the deadline. And then, he expanded the definition of “doing something” at the deadline.
“We’ve talked a little about the guys coming back (from injuries) in the bullpen. So that’s doing something. Walker (Buehler) and Bobby (Miller) are still a ways away I think in everyone’s opinion. That’s something. … I still believe we need something. I just don’t know where, what it is or who it is. You know, Mookie (Betts) is coming back soon. I hope we get (Max) Muncy moving around and get him closer because it’s been pretty stagnant over the last few weeks.”
The Dodgers currently have four pitchers on rehab assignments with Triple-A Oklahoma City – Brusdar Graterol, Michael Grove, Ryan Brasier and Buehler. Miller is also with OKC, having been demoted before the All-Star break.
Graterol has not pitched for the Dodgers all season due to a shoulder problem. But he pitched on consecutive days for OKC this week, a step that moves him close to being activated and added to the Dodgers’ bullpen.
“It is a sign that he’s closer,” Roberts agreed. “Yesterday was much better than the day before which was encouraging. He said he felt more like himself. So what does that mean? I still believe it’s going to be a couple more outings until he joins us. But it’s a big step in the right direction, certainly.
“We haven’t talked about Graterol all year and over the past three, four postseasons he’s been fantastic. Michael Grove, Brasier is on his way back. Those three are leverage arms that I’ve used in the past that we’re hopeful we’ll get back.”
Buehler and Miller don’t appear to be making the same positive steps. Buehler made the first start of his second rehab assignment on Friday and allowed runs in three of the four innings he pitched. Miller made his second start since being demoted Saturday and gave up six runs in 3 ⅔ innings.
Both will continue to pitch for OKC.
“I talked to Connor McGuiness about it. It wasn’t very good,” Roberts said of the report on Miller’s latest outing. “I didn’t really go into that much detail. But there were some walks in there. The command wasn’t good overall.”
Roberts had more positive updates about Mookie Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Betts has been cleared to start hitting soft toss and off a tee.
“He’s swinging again. He’s taking ground balls, he’s running,” Roberts said. “So hopefully we’ll see him in a couple weeks.”
Yamamoto, meanwhile, has progressed far enough in his throwing program to throw off a mound this week for the first time since he left his June 15 start with a strained rotator cuff. Roberts said Yamamoto is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Friday.
Roberts said there was nothing new in Freddie Freeman’s situation. He was placed on the family emergency list Saturday after leaving the team to be with his three-year-old son who was hospitalized. It’s not clear when Freeman might rejoin the team. …
Reliever Yohan Ramirez was claimed on waivers by the Boston Red Sox. Ramirez was designated for assignment by the Dodgers earlier this week.
The Dodgers are off Monday.
Dodgers (RHP Tyler Glasnow, 8-6, 3.47 ERA) at Padres (RHP Matt Waldron, 6-9, 3.64 ERA), Tuesday, 6:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM
