The Los Angeles Dodgers claimed Travis Blankenhorn off waivers from the Minnesota Twins and transferred Dustin May to the 60-day injured list in order to make room on their 40-man roster.
Blankenhorn appeared in one game for the Twins this season (and one last year) before being designated for assignment. He made just four plate appearances in those two career games for Minnesota, collecting a double.
Blankenhorn was selected by the Twins in the third round (80th overall pick) of the 2015 MLB Draft. Over parts of six minor league seasons, he has hit a combined .257 (450-for-1753) with 88 doubles, 56 home runs and 245 RBI.
He was a Southern League All-Star in 2019 after batting .278 with 18 homers in 51 games for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
The 24-year-old provides some needed depth for the Dodgers. They remain without Cody Bellinger and Zach McKinstry, and have lost Edwin Rios for the season due to requiring surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder.
The decision to transfer May to the 60-day IL was due to come at some point this season as he is out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The Dodgers have not set a timetable for his return, though May presumably will be out until at least May or June of the 2022 season.
May had his operation earlier this week. “I haven’t talked to him yet. I think his phone has been blowing up, so I’ll let a couple days get by us and then I’ll reach out to him,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday.
“From my understanding, the surgery couldn’t have gone any better. I’m excited for Dustin to get that behind him and now work towards healing and strengthening.”
May went 1-1 with a 2.74 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in five starts after earning a spot in the Opening Day rotation.
Dodgers sign Jones
L.A. also boasted their organizational pitching depth on Friday by signing Nate Jones to a Minor League contract. The right-hander has joined Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Jones went 0-2 with a 3.48 ERA 1.74 WHIP in 12 games for the Atlanta Braves this season prior to being designated for assignment and released.
The bulk of Jones’ career experience came with the Chicago White Sox (2012-2019) and he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds last season.
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