Alex

Freeland

The Dodgers added Ben Rortvedt to their bench on Thursday to provide depth behind the plate with Will Smith nursing a hand injury, which unfortunately cost Freeland his spot on the roster. The 24-year-old infielder has hit .190/.292/.310 with two homers and six RBI in 97 plate appearances with the Dodgers this season.

Kim, who appeared off the bench Tuesday and Wednesday, is starting over Alex Freeland at second base tonight. One of those two is likely facing a demotion to Triple-A once Max Muncy and Tommy Edman are activated (Justin Dean will likely be the first player cut to open up a spot).

Freeland was called upon to bat for Alex Call in the eighth inning and launched a 3-2 fastball from Jeremiah Estrada for a 388-foot (97.6 mph EV) solo shot that finally got the Dodgers on the scoreboard. That would be the extent of their offense. The 23-year-old rookie infielder has now homered in two consecutive games and is hitting .241/.362/.414 with two homers, six RBI and one stolen base in his first 70 plate appearances with the Dodgers.

Freeland also walked. The homer was the first of Freeland’s MLB career, and it accounted for the only run the Dodgers scored in the contest. Freeland has shown a good approach at the plate since being called up with a .353 on-base percentage, but there’s still some work to be done before he’s ready to be a regular fantasy contributor.

The Dodgers are hopeful Muncy will prove to be day-to-day, but he will undergo testing on Thursday. Alex Freeland and Miguel Rojas would both play regularly if Muncy is forced to go back on the injured list.

Miguel Rojas is at second base and batting eighth in this one. Freeland is hitting just .222 (6-for-27) with zero extra-base hits and two RBI in eight games since being called up earlier this week from Triple-A Oklahoma City. It doesn’t come as a total shock to see the 23-year-old top prospect go through an adjustment period at the highest level, but his prolonged struggles likely mean he’s headed back to the minors once Tommy Edman (ankle) is ready to return from the injured list.

Muncy will get a break during Wednesday afternoon’s showdown at Dodger Stadium following a four-hit effort on Tuesday night that also included a pair of home runs. It doesn’t come as a surprise that Los Angeles will give him a break against Cardinals lefty Matthew Liberatore since he’s just returned from a knee injury. It’ll be top prospect Alex Freeland taking over at the hot corner in this one.

As expected, Edman hits the shelf for an extended break after re-aggravating a lingering ankle issue during Sunday’s series finale against the Rays. His absence opens the door for top prospect Alex Freeland to continue playing regularly at the keystone.

Muncy appears ready to go, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he could return early this week. The 34-year-old is primarily being used as a DH in Triple-A, so the biggest hurdle remaining is to determine how comfortable the Dodgers are with him playing the field for a full game. Once they can check that off the field, Muncy should be back at third base, which means the Dodgers will need to find another spot for Alex Freeland.

It seems like a bit of a lock that Edman will require a trip to the injured list to finally put a lingering ankle issue to bed. The versatile 30-year-old appeared to re-aggravate the issue during the early stages of Sunday’s contest. His absence opens the door for top prospect Alex Freeland to play everyday at the keystone once Max Muncy (knee) is back from the injured list.