The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Matt Beaty on the 10-day injured list with a left hip flexor strain and recalled Kyle Garlick from Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to Wednesday’s series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Beaty’s IL stint is retroactive to June 3, making him eligible to be reinstated June 12. He suffered the injury while taking a swing during last Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Beaty grounded out to second base and was removed after the at-bat.
It was said to be out of precaution, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated this week he anticipated Beaty being back in the lineup for the series with the San Francisco Giants.
The 26-year-old made his MLB debut last month and has appeared in 17 games (10 starts) over two separate stints with the Dodgers. Beaty recently received regular starts at first base while Max Muncy was shifted over to third to spell Justin Turner as he rested due to hamstring tightness.
Beaty is batting .286/.286/.310 with one double and seven home runs this season. “He’s playing more than I expected, and that’s a credit to him and the way he’s playing,” Roberts said of Beaty this week.
“As I talk about a lot, every game has the same magnitude or importance. If you perform and I feel you give us the best chance to win, you’re going to be in there. Matt, to his credit, the at-bats that he’s taken, he’s earned that.
“The thing is for me, for the most part he swings at strikes. And when he does get out of the strike zone, he has a good ability to adjust within the at-bat. Doesn’t punch much, hits velocity and uses the whole field.”
Meanwhile, Garlick joins the Dodgers for a third time this season. Like Beaty, the first instance also corresponded with making his MLB debut. Garlick took the place of Kenta Maeda, then was optioned back to Oklahoma City when Julio Urias was reinstated from administrative leave.
He returned three days later in a corresponding move to Joe Kelly being placed on the bereavement list, but again had a short stay. Garlick has appeared in just three games for the Dodgers, twice as a pinch-hitter. He’s logged a combined five innings in the outfield.
