During his latest appearance against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Andy Pages suffered a fracture in his left hand and is expected to be sidelined for at least a month. To replace him, The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers are promoting Alek Thomas.
The Dodgers acquired the former Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder earlier this year. Playing for the Oklahoma City Comets, Thomas has posted an .855 OPS and, importantly, can also play center field.
There isn’t much time left before the MLB regular season comes to an end, and the Dodgers are still sitting atop the NL West. They will look to remain up to the task despite the significant injuries they are dealing with at this stage of the season.
Pages’ absence will be felt
Before his injury after a hit-by-pitch, Pages was having a massive breakout year as an All-Star, posting a solid .272 batting average with 21 home runs, 80 RBIs, and a standout 5.6 bWAR across 128 games. His 4-to-5-week absence is a brutal hit for L.A. right down the stretch, as the lineup loses one of its most reliable everyday run-producers while the outfield forfeits elite, lockdown defense in center field.
Andy Pages #44 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts between Dave Roberts #30 and Rafael Flores Jr.
Replacing that blend of pop, plate consistency, and defensive coverage won’t be easy for Dave Roberts as the Dodgers fight to secure a first-round bye heading into the postseason.
The Dodgers’ resilience
The victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates was anything but easy, and the Dodgers had to show the kind of character expected from a team looking to win the title. This was something Roberts made clear in his postgame comments to the press.
“Our guys just fight,” Roberts said, per MLB.com. “Even when we gave up the lead, we didn’t get down. And Tommy came up with an 0-2 base hit to win the game. We were short on pitching, so we needed that one.”
Little by little, this team is establishing itself as one of the strongest not only in its division, but in the league as a whole. Can the West Coast dream of winning the World Series once again for the third consecutive year?
