Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
The ultimate goal of the minor leagues is to ultimately contribute in some way to the success of the major league team. In the lower levels, that means player development, and given how far away from the majors players are, to foster a sense of winning.
But as the ladder gets higher, with players closer to the big leagues, changes to the major league team has a more immediate, tangible affect on the minors. On the Dodgers current road trip, for instance, two likely members of the Triple-A rotation Mike Kickham and Edwin Uceta were recalled to the majors, and Kickham was subsequently designated for assignment. Also recalled in the last week were Oklahoma City starting catcher Keibert Ruiz and reliever Alex Vesia.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma City, the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate, opens play in the new Triple-A West, East Division nee Pacific Coast League on Thursday night at Round Rock. Josiah Gray is the Dodgers’ top pitching prospect, and gets the call on opening day for OKC.
Baseball Prospectus, ESPN, and The Athletic tabbed Gray as the Dodgers’ top prospect heading into 2021, and he was second behind catcher Keibert Ruiz at Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. Gray and Ruiz were the only two Dodgers rated as consensus top-100 prospects by those national outlets.
“It would be hard to say [prospect rankings] don’t strike my interest from time to time, but I truly try not to pay any attention to it,” Gray said Tuesday. “Those things, I try not to get too caught up over. You can be number one in all of baseball, but if you’re not going out there every night and putting up the numbers and helping your team win, then that stuff doesn’t mean so much.”
Dodgers to play doubleheader on Tuesday
Share this story
Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images
Monday night’s game between the Dodgers and Cubs was postponed due to weather in Chicago. Both teams will play a doubleheader on Tuesday, with the first game coming at 11:20 a.m. PT and the second game scheduled for 4:40 p.m. PT.
Friendly reminder that each game tomorrow will be only seven innings long.
With the game tonight being postponed, the Dodgers will be shaking up their starting rotation. Walker Buehler was scheduled to pitch tonight, but he’ll be pushed back to Wednesday now.
Hendricks
For a team with an overly taxed bullpen and a rotation missing a starter, it’s as favorable a stretch as possible, at least from a scheduling standpoint. Coupled with Mike Kickham absorbing the only two relief innings on Sunday before getting designated for assignment, the Dodgers enter Tuesday with at least nine relievers, all with at least two days rest, and that’s before replacing Kickham on the active roster.
Dave Roberts on Monday mentioned left-handed pitcher James Pazos as one who would be called up, though that move wasn’t yet made as of Thursday morning. The Dodgers instead opted to call up Keibert Ruiz to take Kickham’s spot, giving them 13 position players and a full bench, something Roberts over the weekend said was coming soon.
Dodgers call up prized catching prospect Keibert Ruiz
Field Level Media
05 May 2021, 04:05 GMT+10
Los Angeles Dodgers prized catching prospect Keibert Ruiz will not open the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City as expected, getting called up to the major league team instead in advance of Tuesday s doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs.
Ruiz was not the additional player for the doubleheader, but instead was added to the regular roster after left-hander Mike Kickham was designated for assignment Monday.
Ruiz, 22, entered the season as the No. 48 overall prospect in MLB, according to mlb.com. Oklahoma City was set to begin its season Tuesday.