The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Edwin Rios on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain, and recalled Adam Kolarek from their alternate training site.
The roster move came hours after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts deemed Rios unavailable for Monday’s series opener but that the team was optimistic. “He’s had other hamstring issues, this is more of a benign episode,” Roberts said. “I think right now it’s just day to day. Hopefully with each passing day he feels better.”
Rios suffered the injury in the second inning of the Freeway Series finale. He doubled off the wall in center field and grabbed at his left hamstring upon sliding into second base. Roberts and a Dodgers trainer checked on Rios, who managed to lobby his way into remaining in the game.
That wound up proving costly as Rios failed to score on Matt Beaty’s base hit into right-center field gap. Unable to fully run, Rios was jogging toward home plate and didn’t cross before Beaty was thrown out attempting to stretch his hit into a double.
Roberts relayed after the game that Rios’ condition was already improving and the team wasn’t yet sure if he experienced a cramp or actual hamstring strain. Rios is batting .276/.323/.690 with three doubles, three home runs and six RBI in 14 games this season.
Due to the new extra innings rule this season, he has the distinct honor of being the first player in MLB history to hit a leadoff two-run home run. Rios’ blast helped propel the Dodgers to a sweep of the Houston Astros at the end of March.
Kolarek was on the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster and now is back with the team for a second time since first being optioned. He’s made five appearances thus far, allowing four hits over 5.1 scoreless innings.
Dodgers focused on Kolarek’s arm slot
One reason the Dodgers optioned Kolarek when rosters needed to be pared down to 28 players was to give him an opportunity to refine his arm slot. Now tasked with needing to face right-handed batters because of the three-batter rule, Kolarek’s arm slot grew inconsistent.
Kolarek first returned when Joe Kelly was placed on the 10-day IL, but he was optioned two days later so Tony Gonsolin could be recalled for a spot start.
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