Kristopher

Negron

It was announced early Tuesday that Negron, 33, was being released by the Dodgers, and rather than looking for a new club, the utilityman will instead hang up his cleats for good. He appeared in 170 games over parts of six seasons with the Reds, Diamondbacks, Mariners and Dodgers, and he retires with a .627 OPS in 416 plate appearances with those clubs.

Negron, 33, played in 40 games for the Mariners and Dodgers in 2019 while posting a .630 OPS with with two homers and eight RBI in 82 plate appearances. He’ll likely link on with a team as a spring training invite assuming he isn’t being released to play overseas.

He’s taking the place of the injured Max Muncy on three Dodgers’ active roster. Negron will continue to function in a super utility role.

This might be related to his diving catch attempt last Thursday. Negron passed a round of concussion tests, but he is apparently suffering from whiplash-like symptoms.

Negron injured his nose on Thursday when he dove for a ball in the outfield against the Marlins. He’s hitting .250/.304/.344 with a pair of homers, eight RBI and a stolen base in 69 plate appearances at the big league level this season.

He also passed his concussion tests. Negron’s nose was bloodied after he dove for a ball in the outfield Thursday against Miami, but luckily he escaped without any major injuries. Consider him day-to-day.

Negron tried to rob Lewis Brinson of a base hit in the fifth inning but came up empty and paid the price for it, face-planting on the outfield turf. He appeared to be bleeding from his nose and was soon replaced by Matt Beaty in left field. Negron went hitless in two at-bats before exiting.

It sounds like a day-to-day situation. Kristopher Negron will take Verdugo’s spot in center field.

Manager Dave Roberts is simply giving him a breather. Utility man Kristopher Negron will get the nod at shortstop in his absence while holding down the No. 8 spot in L.A.'s order. Seager finds himself in the middle of a 5-for-23 dry spell at the plate.

Negron sliced an opposite-field solo shot off Rockies starter Kyle Freeland in his first at-bat in a Dodgers’ uniform in the second inning. It was his first major-league home run since September 15, 2018. It was also his lone hit in four at-bats The 33-year-old veteran infielder was acquired from the Mariners on Monday and is expected to fill a utility role with Enrique Hernandez and Chris Taylor sidelined due to injury. There’s some legitimate NL-Only appeal here.