Austin Martin homers, steals base vs. Orioles

Knack picked up a save on Wednesday night, recording the final eight outs against the Royals. Unfortunately, that means he was unlikely to be available for the next couple of days, so the Dodgers wanted to add a fresh arm to their bullpen for Thursday night’s battle against the Brewers. He should get another opportunity with the big league club in relatively short order.

The 30-year-old righty briefly elected free agency after being designated for assignment earlier in the week but ultimately decided to re-up with the Dodgers with another chance to pitch out of the bullpen. He holds a miserable 6.45 ERA over 22 1/3 innings with the Dodgers this season.

The 28-year-old southpaw was released by the Tigers earlier in the week and didn’t take long to find another opportunity. Lockhart made 20 appearances (14 starts) between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo this season, posting a 5.31 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and a 72/40 K/BB ratio over 78 innings of work. He’ll add pitching depth in the upper minors for the M’s.

There aren’t any rumblings of the dynamic shortstop dealing with any sort of injury, so it’s just a night of rest for Neto. Denzer Guzman will start in his place at shortstop and will bat sixth against Rangers’ star right-hander Jacob deGrom.

Burger has been in there at first base for every other game this week, so it looks like they’re just trying to give him a breather. Joc Pederson will cover first base while Corey Seager functions as the team’s designated hitter, with Nicky Lopez starting at shortstop and batting seventh for the Rangers against Angels’ right-hander Walbert Urena.

With Chuckie Robinson electing free agency, the Dodgers had a need for extra catching depth at the Triple-A level so Tromp will join the fray. The 31-year-old backstop has hit just .163 (8-for-49) with no homers and four RBI in his limited big league action this season.

Brewers’ skipper Pat Murphy told reporters that Turang underwent an MRI exam which didn’t reveal anything serious — though he will get a second opinion to be sure. Murphy also noted that there’s a chance that Turang returns before their weekend series against the Dodgers is through. Whether or not he’ll require a trip to the injured list will likely depend on how he responds to treatment over the next couple of days.

Rodden will fill the roster space that was vacated when Colt Emerson was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma after Thursday’s game. It will be the first trip to the big leagues for the 26-year-old infielder who was a fifth-round selection by the Mariners from the 2023 draft class. Rodden hit .262/.342/.499 with 19 long balls, 65 RBI, eight stolen bases and a 93/43 K/BB ratio in 410 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this season.

The 21-year-old phenom struggled in his first exposure against MLB pitching, slashing a woeful .190/.246/.335 with eight home runs, 23 RBI, three stolen bases and an 83/15 K/BB ratio in his first 241 plate appearances. He should get plenty of time at the Triple-A level to get his confidence back up before getting another chance with the M’s. Brock Rodden is expected to be promoted from Triple-A Tacoma to take Emerson’s spot on the active roster on Friday.

Ortiz smacked a one-out single off of Kevin Gausman in the fourth inning and scored the game’s first run on an RBI double by Dylan Crews. He then broke the game open as he ambushed a first-pitch fastball from Gausman for a 414-foot (105.2-mph EV) three-run shot in the fifth inning. The 24-year-old is taking advantage of his opportunity here, slashing .333/.355/.767 with four homers and eight RBI in his first 31 plate appearances with the Nationals. He could be worth a look in deeper mixed leagues until he shows any signs of cooling down.