Dodgers: Chase Utley Placed on Disabled List
There was a bit of drama at Dodger Stadium on Thursday. With Justin Turner returning from the DL, this left the Dodgers with 26 players on the active roster. Until about two hours prior to first pitch, nobody knew who would be headed to the disabled list in order to make way for Turner. Just past five o’clock, we got our answer.
Left wrist inflammation for Chase Utley, who goes on the DL to make room for Turner
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) August 3, 2018
According to Dave Roberts, it came down to Utley or a relief pitcher. This appears to be one of those “fake” DL stints, where a player isn’t truly hurt, but needs to make room for a player. On the year, Utley is hitting .240/.321/.342. With the acquisition of Brian Dozier, the Dodgers have a handful of players who will be fighting for playing time.
Analysis
As mentioned, this looks like Chase Utley is taking one for the team. If he really does have inflammation in his wrist, hopefully it heals soon, as he has only about two months left in the regular season. Knowing Chase, he probably volunteered for the DL stint. It will be interesting to see what the Dodgers do in 10 days when Utley comes back. LA has a plethora of depth, probably the deepest team they have had in years. But hey, I guess this is a good problem to have, right?
Dodgers: Grandal Walks It Off in the Tenth Behind Dozier’s Stellar Debut
Actually he doesn’t have to come off the dl in 10 days. They can keep him there until someone else gets hurt. And I’m going to guess that he, like all players, has been playing with a few aches and pains. That’s how they can claim he’s hurt and get the Dr. to sign off on it.