In need of a position player when A.J. Pollock was placed on the 10-day injured ahead of his elbow surgery, the Los Angeles Dodgers elected to recall Matt Beaty from Triple-A Oklahoma City. However, he was only with the team for five days.
Beaty returned to Oklahoma City when the Dodgers signed veteran catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who has since been traded to the Tampa Bay Rays. Beaty was recalled a second time just over one week ago as part of a series of roster moves.
While collecting a hit in his first Major League plate appearance certainly is a memorable highlight, Beaty’s performance against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the series finale at PNC Park may not be far behind.
After finishing with a career-best four RBI, the 26-year-old gave all the credit to his teammates, via Jake Crouse of MLB.com:
“I think my RBIs today were just the guys in front of me getting on base, and then I was lucky enough to find a hole,” Beaty said. “The last RBI, [Turner] had an amazing read on that fly ball to left field, so hats off to [him] for that read.”
Beaty became the first Dodgers rookie with at least four RBI in a single game since Cody Bellinger in 2017. Beaty’s first time delivering was with the bases loaded in the fifth inning.
He pulled a slider from Chris Archer into right field for a two-run single that gave the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. Beaty then was credited with an RBI the following inning despite reaching on an error.
His final RBI came in the seventh on a blooper into shallow left field that Justin Turner read well and broke early to easily score from second base. Turner himself had a career day, tallying five hits and reaching base safely six times.
After only being used as a pinch-hitter during his first stint with the Dodgers, Beaty has started six consecutive games. His first MLB start came against the Cincinnati Reds, and his streak of being penciled into the lineup largely stemmed from the Tampa Bay Rays using openers.
Beaty’s presence has afforded Dodgers manager Dave Roberts flexibility in moving Max Muncy around the diamond. With Beaty starting at first base, Muncy has spelled Turner at third base and also made starts at second.
