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The Los Angeles Dodgers optioned outfielder James Outman to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday to make room on the active roster for outfielder Jason Heyward (back), who was activated from the 10-day injured list. Outman impressed with 23 home runs, 70 RBI and 16 stolen bases in his first full big-league season in 2023 with the Blue, but he hasn't been able to replicate that so far in 2024, slashing .147/.250/.266 with three homers, 10 RBI and two stolen bases in 36 games. Rookie sensation Andy Pages basically took over the strong side of a platoon with Outman in center field before Outman's demotion on Friday. The demotion is good news for fantasy managers that swooped on Pages quickly. The 27-year-old Outman will now need to make some adjustments in the minors before he'll get another opportunity against right-handed pitching in the big leagues.
The Los Angeles Dodgers activated outfielder Jason Heyward (back) from the injured list on Friday and optioned outfielder James Outman to the minors in a corresponding move. Heyward is right back in the starting lineup on Friday, playing in right field and batting eighth against Cincinnati Reds right-hander Frankie Montas. The 34-year-old left-handed hitter landed on the injured list all the way back on April 3 with lower-back tightness and had some setbacks during his recovery. He was hitless in six at-bats with Triple-A Oklahoma City on a two-game minor-league rehab assignment and had gone just 3-for-14 with two RBI for the Dodgers to open the season before landing on the shelf. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues should expect Heyward to be on the strong side of a platoon in right field now that he's healthy.
The Los Angeles Dodgers placed third baseman Max Muncy (oblique) on the 10-day injured list on Friday with a right-oblique strain. Muncy didn't play the series opener on Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds, and now we know why. Given the nature of the injury and the fact that Muncy is on the wrong side of 30, he's almost certainly going to miss more than 10 days as he tries to recover from this injury. Muncy isn't helping fantasy teams at all with his batting average, but his power and run production make him worth stashing in all fantasy formats. He currently has nine home runs and 28 RBI in 167 plate appearances in 2024. The Dodgers called up infielder Miguel Vargas from the minors on Friday, and both he and Enrique Hernandez could share playing time at the hot corner for the next several weeks with Muncy out.
Los Angeles Dodgers infielder/outfielder Miguel Vargas is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 24-year-old is hitting the cover off the ball in the minors. Right now, Vargas is slashing .295/.437/.583 with eight homers, 38 RBI in Triple-A. Vargas has been playing almost exclusively in left field during this time in Triple-A. It's uncertain if the team plans to keep Vargas in the outfield or move him back into the infield. It's worth noting that outfielder Jason Heyward (back) is expected to be activated from the injured list soon. It'll be interesting to see how the Dodgers work Vargas into the lineup. Vargas has notoriously been great in the minors but struggled once he gets called up to the MLB. We'll see if this time is going to be different.
The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired left-hander Anthony Banda from the Cleveland Guardians on Friday in exchange for cash considerations. Banda will head to the Dodgers after posting a 2.12 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with six walks and 25 strikeouts in 17 relief innings for Triple-A Columbus this year. The 30-year-old southpaw will likely report to Triple-A Oklahoma City now and will operate as left-handed relief depth for the Dodgers moving forward. Banda was originally a 10th-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2012 out of San Jacinto College. He made his big-league debut back in 2017 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and has pitched in the majors with seven different teams since then. Overall, he has a 5.69 ERA and 1.63 WHIP with one save, a weak 19.9% strikeout rate and an 8.9% walk rate.