Dodgers Claim Infielder Ryan Jackson From San Diego Padres
While Andrew Friedman has yet to find a general manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he spent Monday attending to player personnel matters.
The Dodgers made the qualifying offer to Hanley Ramirez prior to the deadline and announced Brian Wilson exercised his player option for 2015. After some of the dust settled, the Dodgers also announced they claimed infielder Ryan Jackson from the San Diego Padres.
Jackson didn’t play in the Majors last season and last saw time in the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013. The 6’3 infielder also played for the Cardinals in 2012, but only four of his 20 career games were starts.
Jackson has otherwise spent the majority of his career in the Minors. He played the better of five seasons in the Cardinals’ Minor League ranks before joining the Padres organization last season. He’s a career .268 batter with 27 home runs and 203 RBIs in 56 games over six Minor League seasons.
In 24 at-bats with the Cardinals, Jackson went 2-for-24 with one walk. Last season, the Dodgers benefitted from carrying infielders who were capable of playing multiple positions, which is a mold Jackson fills. However, he’s coming off a season in which he only played 11 games due to a wrist injury that required surgery.
Jackson has one option remaining on his contract and likely will begin 2015 in the Minors regardless of how Ramirez’s contract situation unfolds. With the addition of Jackson, the Dodgers now have 36 players on their 40-man roster.
