Ardaya: Dodgers calling up Alek Thomas

Thomas is the least exciting of the Dodgers’ contingency plans to replace Andy Pages (hand), but he’s the one that makes the most sense from a short-term standpoint. The 26-year-old, who spent five seasons with the division-rival Diamondbacks to open his career, is capable of handling center field and figures to split time with both Tommy Edman and Enrique Hernández for the next couple weeks. He doesn’t offer enough realistic upside at the plate to envision a scenario where he’s an impactful fantasy contributor down the home stretch.

Pages can be dropped in nearly all redraft fantasy leagues as he’s expected to miss 4-5 weeks after suffering the injury when he was hit by a pitch during Friday’s game against the Pirates. The 25-year-old was in the midst of a stellar campaign where he was delivering second-round fantasy value, hitting .272/.338/.458 with 72 runs scored, 21 homers, 80 RBI and 12 steals in 550 plate appearances. It sounds like there’s a chance he’s back at the end of the regular season and should be ready to roll by the time the Dodgers kick off the postseason. It’ll be a combination of Alek Thomas, Tommy Edman and Enrique Hernández taking over in center field during his absence.

The calls for Tibbs to reach the majors are going to get exponentially louder with Andy Pages set to miss 4-5 weeks with a left hand fracture. It figures to be Alek Thomas, who is already on the club’s 40-man roster, that gets the call to join the Dodgers as a defensive specialist with Enrique Hernández and Tommy Edman taking over for Pages in center field. It’s possible the Dodgers decide to give Tibbs a look in left field, especially if they decide they need the spark in their lineup. However, his arrival in the big leagues doesn’t feel imminent. The same goes for top prospect Josue De Paula, who isn’t really an option in center field at this stage of his development at Double-A Tulsa. Fellow top prospect Mike Sirota would make a ton of sense as a short-term stopgap, but that feels unlikely with both Edman and Hernández capable of filling the void for the final month of the season.

Pages underwent X-rays that revealed the fracture after being hit by a pitch during the early stages of Friday’s game against the Pirates. Roberts didn’t say how the Dodgers intend to replace Pages, but former Diamondbacks center fielder Alek Thomas, who is already on the 40-man roster, seems like the obvious choice. He could come up and play against most righties, with Tommy Edman moving to center against lefties. That would free up some infield time for Enrique Hernández and Miguel Rojas. There’s an extremely small, but non-zerp possibility that the Dodgers bring up one of their top outfield prospects like Josue De Paula, Mike Sirota, or James Tibbs III.

Pages said the pitch hit him on the outside of his left hand, just below his pinkie finger. If he needs to miss some time, the Dodgers could call up Alek Thomas to share time with Tommy Edman in center. Top prospect Josue DePaula is strictly a corner outfielder and probably wouldn’t be viewed as a potential option here.

Edman ended the game with an RBI single off Gregory Soto to give the Dodgers their 77th win of the 2026 campaign. The 31-year-old has appeared in just 52 games this year, but he’s been solid — if unspectacular — in those contests with a slash of .274/.342/.411 with four homers in 175 at-bats. He also gets to be the hero of Friday’s game, which seems pretty fun.

Hernández hasn’t started against a righty this month and has been on the bench against some lefties, but he’s made good use of his limited playing time by going 8-for-32 with two homers and two doubles. He still probably won’t get any starts this weekend against the Pirates.

Pages scored the Dodgers’ first run on Mookie Betts’ first-inning single and later broke a 1-1 tie with the homer in the fifth. It’s his second straight 20-homer season, as he finished with 27 last year. He’s not a sure thing to surpass that total this year, but he is going to cruise past his mark of 86 RBI from last year; he’s tied for ninth in the majors with 77 right now.

Freeman was banged up a bit as he fell into the Royals’ dugout while chasing a foul popup during Wednesday’s game. He returned to the lineup on Thursday but is still a bit sore so the Dodgers wanted to give him an extra night to rest. He’s considered day-to-day. Enrique Hernandez will start in his place at first base and will bat eighth against Brewers’ southpaw Robert Gasser.

It appears to be a routine day off for Edman, who is hitting just .154 (6-for-39) with one homer and four RBI in 10 games since the start of August. It’ll be Miguel Rojas drawing a start at second base in his absence.