Dodgers: Jedd Gyorko’s Expected Impact Down the Stretch

The Dodgers acquired utility infielder Jedd Gyorko from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline along with international bonus pool money and cash considerations. They sent rookie ball right-hander Jeffry Abreu and lefty Tony Cingrani to the Cardinals in exchange.

#Dodgers acquiring Jedd Gyorko from #STLCards, source tells The Athletic.

---

---

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2019

Gyorko’s Rehab Process

Gyorko was on the 60-day injured list with back, calf, and wrist injuries. He suffered a setback in his rehab with the Cardinals in late June, but progressed well after being sent to the Dodgers organization.

He hit very well across nine combined games at Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City, crushing two homers and driving in seven runs. He put together a fairly impressive .333/.438/.593 slash line and a 163 wRC+.

Filling a Void

While the Dodgers have a large amount of utility type position players — namely Kiké Hernandez, Chris Taylor, and Kristopher Negron — Gyorko could have a big impact for the Dodgers. He would likely be replacing someone like Kyle Garlick or Edwin Rios.

https://twitter.com/eccentricladdie/status/1162843254175363072?s=20

Expected Impact

While his numbers are fairly awful in 2019, it is a small sample size and most of the poor performance can be attributed to injuries. He held just a .196/.274/.304 slash line across 62 plate appearances. When looking back at past seasons, Gyorko has been relatively consistent, with a 112 wRC+ in both 2016 and 2017 and a 110 wRC+ in 2018. Across those three seasons, Gyorko crushed against southpaws, posting a .288/.359/.501 slash line. The Dodgers are surely hoping he can return to that performance against left-handers to be able to add to a lefty-mashing core of David Freese, Alex Verdugo, Cody Bellinger, and Will Smith.

Overall

While Gyorko is not expected to receive everyday playing time this season with the Dodgers, he should be in the lineup frequently against lefties should he redeem himself with a change of scenery. Any presence that mashes lefties is welcome on the Dodgers considering their past kryptonite was offensive displays against southpaws and that the Dodgers current offense is littered with left-handed bats.

Jedd Gyorko will be activated and start on Sunday.

— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) August 17, 2019

Gyorko is expected to be in Sunday’s lineup and playing first base against the Atlanta Braves.