The Los Angeles Dodgers’ depth in all areas of their roster has been put to the test so far this season as a number of key players have missed time due to injury or currently remained sidelined.
That particularly applies to A.J. Pollock, who suffered an infection in his previously surgically-repaired elbow that forced him to go under the knife for a second time. As a part of the operation, Pollock had a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line put into his left arm in order to deliver antibiotics for the infection.
Pollock was not able to resume baseball activities until it was removed, but previously said his expectation was the rehab process would ‘move pretty quick’ once that happened.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the PICC line has been taken out of Pollock’s arm and he’s now progressing toward swinging a bat, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
Roberts said A.J. Pollock has resumed throwing to 60 feet after the PICC line was removed from his left arm. He said Pollock reported the right elbow, which he had surgery on, felt better than Pollock expected. He might begin swinging a bat in the next few days.
One of the team’s other injured players is Scott Alexander, who has been out for the past week due to left forearm inflammation. He too has resumed throwing a baseball:
Roberts added that Scott Alexander resumed playing catch on Saturday.
When Pollock returns, Roberts said he anticipates him regaining his starting center field job despite how well rookie Alex Verdugo has filled.
Pollock’s career with the Dodgers got off to a slow start before he went down with the injury. He was hitting just .223/.287/.330 with two home runs and 14 RBI in his first 28 games.
Alexander was also struggling prior to being placed on the 10-day injured list, posting a 5.79 ERA in 4.2 innings across his last nine appearances. He walked three batters without recording a strikeout in that span.
With Julio Urias establishing himself as the Dodgers’ best left-handed reliever, Alexander will have to perform well in a potential rehab assignment before he regains his role.
He is likely much closer to joining a Minor League affiliate than Pollock considering his injury was significantly less severe.
