The Los Angeles Dodgers are bringing back a familiar face for infield depth. The Dodgers are acquiring utility man Amed Rosario from the Tampa Bay Rays for right-hander Michael Flynn, the team announced late Monday. Los Angeles designated veteran lefty Ryan Yarbrough for assignment in a corresponding move.
Rosario, 28, finished last season with the Dodgers after coming over in a deadline trade with the Cleveland Guardians. He is hitting .307/.331/.417 with two homers in 76 games this season while playing second base, third base, shortstop, and right field. A year ago Rosario slashed .256/.301/.408 with the Dodgers. He played mostly against lefties.
Tampa has been very active trading away players these last few days -- Jason Adam, Randy Arozarena, Zach Eflin, and Isaac Paredes have all been moved already -- and it was only a matter of time until Rosario, a free agent-to-be, was moved. Here's what we wrote about him as a trade candidate recently:
We'll conclude with Rosario, an impending free agent who is on pace to deliver a career-best OPS+. That topline success hasn't been accompanied by a shift toward a conventional profile. He still doesn't walk or hit the ball particularly hard; rather, he excels by hitting them where they ain't, with that manifesting in the form of line drives and ground balls. You can look high and low on his Statcast page, and you're not going to find a metric that fully explains why he's able to make it work when so many similar players can't. A team that can live with the mystery (and his below-average glove) could find some uses for him.
The Dodgers are currently without Max Muncy, who is recovering slowly from an oblique strain, as well as Mookie Betts and Miguel Rojas. Betts is out with a broken hand and Rojas has a flexor strain. Freddie Freeman is away from the team to tend to a family emergency, leaving the Dodgers very thin on the field. Rosario will help there.
As for the Rays, it seems likely closer Pete Fairbanks will be moved prior to Tuesday's 6 p.m. ET deadline, ditto first baseman Yandy Díaz. Tampa is not completely out of the postseason race, yet they've essentially thrown in the towel and opted for a firesale. Flynn, 27, has a 4.25 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this year.
Los Angeles entered play Monday with a 63-44 record and a 6.5-game lead in the NL West. They picked up super utility man Tommy Edman and reliever Michael Kopech in a three-team trade with the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox earlier on Monday, and figure to add pitching at some point.
