Ryan

Ward

Ward’s first opportunity with the Dodgers lasted only a couple days while Freddie Freeman was away from the club on paternity leave. He went 2-for-6 with an RBI in a pair of contests. The 28-year-old has nothing left to prove at the Triple-A level, but his path to at-bats in the majors remains blocked at the moment. He would likely be the first call for Los Angeles if they needed to bring someone up this summer.

Ward’s MLB debut saw him pick up his first two hits and his first run driven in. Unfortunately, it also saw him end the game as the tying run at the plate, but hard to call this anything but a success. The 28-year-old has raked in Triple-A, but the question is going to be just how much playing time he sees while he’s with the Dodgers.

It’s unfortunate for fantasy managers that he’s getting his breather against Michael Lorenzen and at Coors Field, but Hernández deserves a day off every once in a while. Alex Call will start in his place in left field and bat sixth for the Dodgers while Ryan Ward makes his big league debut, starting at first base and batting seventh.

The 28-year-old outfielder will at least get a couple of days to show what he can do at the big league level with Freddie Freeman heading to the paternity list. He was crushing it at Triple-A Oklahoma City, slashing .328/.432/.588 with four homers, 14 RBI and three stolen bases in his first 81 plate appearances.

The 28-year-old Ward, who was hitting .328/.432/.588 with four homers for Triple-A Oklahoma City, deserves a shot, but it’s hard to see him winding up with any sort of significant role on the Dodgers unless an outfielder is hurt. If there’s no injury, Santiago Espinal would be the obvious choice to go to make room for Ward. He’s just 2-for-14 this season.

DePaula is a top-20 prospect in dynasty formats and ranks alongside fellow outfielders Eduardo Quintero, Zyhir Hope and Mike Sirota at the top of Los Angeles’ farm system. The 20-year-old phenom has a chance to make his big-league debut later this season after hitting .250/.391/.400 with 12 homers and 32 steals in 445 plate appearances between Double-A Tulsa and High-A Great Lakes last year. It’s a tough break for Ward, who has been marooned at the Triple-A level for several years now and seemingly has nothing left to prove in the Pacific Coast League. He’ll have to wait a bit longer for his chance.

Ward was one of the PCL’s best hitters last season, coming in at .290/.380/.557 with 36 homers and 122 RBI for the Comets, and some wanted the Dodgers to give him a chance in Michael Conforto’s place. That left field spot is open now, but the Dodgers figure to go shopping rather than rely on their internal options. Ward’s best hope of getting a shot is probably still a trade.

Ward is now hitting .314 with a 1.017 OPS and 26 home runs, which leads all of the minor leagues. His batting average and OPS are both tied for second in all of Triple-A, as he continues to put together a truly impressive season. At 27 years old, there’s not much time left for the Dodgers to see what he can produce at the big league level. He should either get a shot with Los Angeles or be part of a package to bring in some help at the trade deadline.

Ward is 27 years old, so he’s not an up-and-coming prospect, but he has been crushing the ball in Triple-A this season, hitting .303/.395/.574 with 19 home runs and 11 steals in 72 games. He also hit 33 home runs and stole 11 bases in 120 games at Triple-A last year. His exit velocities have always been strong, but this year he’s taken more of a line drive approach and cut his swing rate by 11 percent, which has helped him make far more contact. With Michael Confort hitting just .176/.302/.308 in 262 plate appearances this year, it might be time for the Dodgers to see if Ward could be a better option.

The 27-year-old Ward is hitting .323/.400/.576 with 12 homers in his third season in Triple-A. There was some talk about him getting plucked in the Rule 5 draft last December, but it didn’t materialize. The Dodgers have no room for him and probably would be open to sending him elsewhere if someone wanted to give him a shot at first base or an outfield corner.