The Dodgers made a flurry of moves before Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the Astros.
Setup man Hong-Chih Kuo was activated from the disabled list after missing more than a month with anxiety disorder, catcher Rod Barajas was placed on the 15-day disabled list with an ankle sprain, right-hander Ramon Troncoso was optioned to Triple-A, and catcher A.J. Ellis was recalled.
Kuo is likely to pitch in low-pressure situations initially. He has allowed seven runs -- six earned -- in nine appearances this season out of the Los Angeles bullpen. The Dodgers need far better from him, especially with closer Jonathan Broxton still battling elbow soreness and Vicente Padilla (neck surgery) ruled out for the remainder of the year.
Barajas sprained his ankle during Saturday night’s loss to the Astros and could miss up to three weeks. He is sporting a weak .220/.262/.385 batting line through 56 games this season.
