Dodgers’ Jason Heyward could be headed to IL with back injury – Orange County Register

LOS ANGELES — Tests of Jason Heyward’s troublesome back Monday “came back negative,” according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. But the outfielder will most likely be on the injured list in the coming days.

“We’ll see. Unless something really changes. The last few days it hasn’t been good,” Roberts said of Heyward, who has been dealing with persistent back stiffness for a week. “Tomorrow, We will ultimately have to make a decision.”

The Dodgers will have to make this decision because they have acquired a potential replacement for Heyward (at least temporarily) in Taylor Trammell, another left-handed outfielder. The Dodgers claimed Trammell off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.

Once a highly touted prospect, Trammell, 26, did not make the Mariners’ season-opening roster and was designated for assignment last week. He is out of options and will have to be on the Dodgers’ active roster upon arrival. Players have 72 hours to introduce themselves to a new team.

A first-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in the 2016 draft (35th overall), Trammell was traded to the San Diego Padres and then the Mariners before making his big league debut in 2021. During three seasons with the Mariners (totaling 116 games), he hit just .168 with 15 home runs and a .639 OPS. He fared much better in Triple-A where he had a .274 average, .887 OPS and 38 home runs in 178 games.

The Dodgers will face a left-handed starter on Wednesday (Kyle Harrison), so Heyward (or Trammell) wouldn’t be in the starting lineup anyway.

LEFT RELIEF

As part of the addition of Trammell, the Dodgers released left-hander Matt Gage. Gage had not pitched this season due to an elbow issue that could limit his availability in the future.

Gage was acquired from the New York Yankees in a trade for Caleb Ferguson last winter. Ferguson is one of four left-handed relievers the Dodgers have traded since last season along with Victor Gonzalez, Bryan Hudson and TJ McFarland (who was not going to make the Dodgers roster and would have triggered an opt-out clause) .

Gage’s release left the Dodgers with just two left-handed relievers on their 40-man roster – Ryan Yarbrough and Alex Vesia. Yarbrough is used in a multi-inning role. Vesia didn’t pitch particularly well in spring training and walked four, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch in his first 2⅓ innings this season.

“I think between Yarbs and Vesia, we started the year feeling really good. We’re not going to overreact to the first two games,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Monday. “Ves is not throwing the way he knows he can or we know he can. But we have full confidence in him, he will go out there and perform like he has in the past.

A day after those comments, the Dodgers traded for left-handed reliever Nick Ramirez, acquiring him from the Yankees for cash.

The 34-year-old Cal State Fullerton product was ousted from the Yankees bullpen by Ferguson and Gonzalez this year, but had a 2.66 ERA in 40⅔ innings last year – despite reverse splits that saw lefties hit much better against him (a .308 average and .819 OPS) than righties (.221 and .542).

In order to add Ramirez to the 40-man roster, the Dodgers moved right-hander Brusdar Graterol to the 60-day IL.