The Los Angeles Dodgers have designated left-handed pitcher James Paxton for assignment as River Ryan makes his debut in Major League Baseball
The Los Angeles Dodgers made a surprising change to their rotation on Monday.
James Paxton was removed from the team to make space for River Ryan on the 40-man roster. Ryan debuted in Major League Baseball on Monday night against the San Francisco Giants, making him the 14th pitcher to start for the Dodgers this season.
Paxton had started 18 games this season, tying him with Gavin Stone and Tyler Glasnow for the most starts on the team. The experienced left-handed pitcher had a record of 8-2 with a 4.43 ERA.
Paxton, who is 35 years old, signed a one-year contract worth $7 million during the offseason. He pitched five innings and allowed two runs in Sunday’s 9-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
Manager Dave Roberts explained that with Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw returning from injuries this week, and with young pitchers the Dodgers want to evaluate, it was challenging to find a role for Paxton for the remainder of the season.
“It was a tough decision. He handled it very professionally,” Roberts said. “We are confident in our starting staff moving forward.”
Glasnow, who was sidelined due to back tightness since July 9, will return and start on Wednesday. Kershaw is set to make his first start of the season on Thursday after recovering from shoulder surgery during the offseason.
Despite the return of Glasnow and Kershaw, the Dodgers are still without Walker Buehler (right hip inflammation) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (right rotator cuff).
Buehler will throw a bullpen session on Tuesday and then make a couple of minor league rehab starts. Yamamoto is not expected to return until possibly late August.
The Dodgers are interested in seeing more of younger pitchers Justin Wrobleski and Landon Knack. Knack will start on Tuesday night.
With the July 30 trade deadline approaching, the Dodgers may seek a trade partner for Paxton. The team has seven days to trade, release, or send Paxton outright to the minors. He has the right to decline a minor league assignment and opt for free agency.
READ MORE: 2024 MLB trade deadline preview: Passan’s intel on every team
A week ahead of the MLB trade deadline, conversations — the sort that will turn into a deluge of deals in the coming days — started to pick up around Major League Baseball on Monday. With the MLB draft complete and the All-Star break passed, teams are finally turning their full attention to trade season.
The expectation, according to more than two dozen front office personnel members, is that while this deadline lacks a top-of-the-industry player, the openness of the playoff picture will compel a wide swath of teams to add from a limited pool of players.
Contenders, sources said, could subtract from positions of strength while simultaneously adding to address weaknesses. Teams near, or even over, .500 could take advantage of the market’s spare inventory to hunt for value and offload players. In a landscape where, as one official said, “everybody needs bats and there are no bats available,” creativity will be paramount.
It’s all another consequence of expanding the postseason to 12 teams, making the days leading up to the 6 p.m. ET deadline on July 30 that much trickier to navigate. With a week to go, here is where every team stands, broken into categories that reflect their intentions. Whether they can execute on them gives this deadline its greatest source of intrigue.
Teams going big
Los Angeles Dodgers: All-in. They are healing at the right time, with Tyler Glasnow expected to return from the injured list tomorrow and Clayton Kershaw primed to make his 2024 debut Thursday. Still, the Dodgers are big-game hunting for their biggest needs. There are no impact shortstops available — especially now that Bo Bichette, who multiple executives said was not
entirely off the market before his recent calf strain, is out until at least August — but the Dodgers can still find capable options in the outfield and on the mound. Whether it’s a huge hack (Luis Robert Jr.) or a solid swing (Randy Arozarena), they can address their outfield depth.