According to a report by Robert Murray of FanSided, the Los Angeles Dodgers have secured outfielder Taylor Trammell through waivers after he was released by the Seattle Mariners due to not making the Opening Day roster. This acquisition coincides with Jason Heyward’s absence from play due to a back injury, which has sidelined him for the past two games.
Heyward has been struggling with this injury since the Freeway Series, where he was pulled from the final spring training game due to what manager Dave Roberts referred to as “back tightness.” Although Heyward managed to participate in the team’s initial two games against right-handed pitchers, he was absent from Monday’s lineup against the right-handed Keaton Winn of the San Francisco Giants.
Trammell, aged 26, was initially drafted in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He was subsequently traded to the San Diego Padres in a three-team trade that saw Trevor Bauer join the Reds and former Dodger Yasiel Puig move to Cleveland.
A year later, Trammell was traded again, this time to the Seattle Mariners in a seven-player trade that saw the Padres acquire Austin Nola. Trammell made his major league debut in 2021 with the Mariners, appearing in 51 games and recording a slash line of .160/.256/.359 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs. Despite his efforts, his performance hasn’t significantly improved, as evidenced by his career slash line of .168/.270/.368 with 15 home runs and 29 RBIs across 116 games.
Trammell’s career struggles notwithstanding, the Dodgers are taking a gamble on him early in the 2024 season. With Heyward sidelined, the team seeks to bolster its outfield options by adding a promising left-handed player to their roster.
