The Dodgers have activated OF Cody Bellinger and utilityman Zach McKinstry from the IL, and optioned OF DJ Peters and utilityman Sheldon Neuse, the team announced Saturday morning.
Bellinger, 25, has played in just four games this season, hitting .211/.286/.368 (4-19) with a double, triple and RBI, last seeing action on April 5 before missing nearly two months with a stress fracture in his left fibula.
On the other hand, McKinstry, 26, was one of the feel-good stories of the first part of the MLB season. In 17 games he was hitting .296/.328/.556 (16-54) with three home runs and 14 RBIs, and played a vital role in playing multiple positions for the Dodgers, including second base, third base, left field and right field.
He has been missed in the Dodgers clubhouse since his last game on April 22, missing just over a month with an oblique strain.
What followed the absence of this pair was a flood of injuries to players such as Corey Seager and AJ Pollock in the lineup. Among their replacements were Peters and Neuse, players who otherwise might not have seen much big-league time until presumably the second half of the season.
In his first taste of big-league ball, Peters, 25, hit .192/.382/.385 (5-26), including his first career home run Thursday night against the Giants. He has driven in four runs and drawn eight walks.
Neuse, 26, had seen time with the A’s in 2019, so it wasn’t his first cup of tea in the bigs. He did however struggle to the tune of hitting .172/.186/.345 (10-58) with three home runs and four RBIs, striking out 22 times, or 37.9 percent of his at-bats.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had hinted at Bellinger starting tonight’s game, and said McKinstry would come along either tonight or tomorrow. With both players having completed a rehab session at Triple-A Oklahoma City, it’s assumed that it’s all systems go for the Dodgers moving forward into the second-half of their four-game series with the Giants.
Currently the team sits a game and a half behind the Padres for the NL West lead and best record in baseball.
Tell us in the comments how you expect Bellinger and McKinstry to perform in their return to the Dodgers!
