The Dodgers made their first deadline trade on Saturday. It wasn’t a blockbuster trade for Juan Soto or Shohei Ohtani, but rather, a quintessential Andrew Friedman-type trade for a veteran reliever who’s underperforming. LA traded utility man Zach McKinstry for Cubs right-handed reliever Chris Martin.
Since McKinstry was on the big league roster at the time of the trade, the Dodgers called up outfielder James Outman from Triple-A to keep the bench fully stocked. Outman, who was the team’s seventh-round pick in the 2018 draft, isn’t going to have to wait long to see his name on a big league lineup card.
Prior to the Dodgers game on Saturday, manager Dave Roberts announced that he plans on starting Outman in right field on Sunday for the final game of the four-game series in Colorado. Mookie Betts, who has been the Dodgers everyday right fielder since joining the team in 2020, will get a rare start at second base.
It figures to be an exciting day for Outman. Although the 6’3″ outfielder is the 17th ranked prospect in the Dodgers system according to MLB Pipeline, he’s drawn rave reviews for his athleticism. Scouts believe he has the potential to be a plus defender at all three outfield spots at the big league level.
Outman isn’t a high contact hitter (.225 average in 97 appearances in Triple-A this year), but has hit 21 home runs and stolen 11 bases in 90 minor league games this season.
Considering the Dodgers history of developing prospects, coupled with Outman’s talent, there’s plenty of reasons to be excited for his Dodgers debut.
First pitch is set for 12:10PM PT tomorrow. Tony Gonsolin is set to get the start for LA.
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