Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson was removed from Tuesday night’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers after crashing into the outfield wall and bruising his AC joint. It is uncertain when he will return to action.
Continue below for updates.
Pederson Out vs. Brewers
Thursday, June 30
The Dodgers announced that Trayce Thompson would take Pederson‘s place in center field for Thursday’s matchup with Milwaukee.
Latest on Pederson‘s Timetable for Recovery
Wednesday, June 29
Manager Dave Roberts implied that Pederson would go on the disabled list if he doesn‘t respond to treatment in a timely manner, according to Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times.
Pederson Looking for Consistency at the Plate
The injury occurred when Pederson made a spectacular catch in center field with the Dodgers holding a two-run lead:
The young slugger experienced a tale of two halves last season.
He was elected to the All-Star Game and participated in the Home Run Derby after putting up a nice first half in which he hit 22 home runs. But after the All-Star Weekend, Pederson struggled, hitting just five home runs and ending the year with a .210 batting average. He had difficulty just getting the ball in play at times as well, seeing his strikeout total hit 170.
Pederson went through a span of 13 games to end the month of September when he recorded just three hits.
He and the Dodgers have been looking for new ways to get his bat going. Pederson‘s practiced with new pitching coaches and made stance tweaks, per Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register.
Pederson spoke with Moura about his work: “It’s about feel and confidence, and a new feel sometimes brings that confidence back up and puts you in a better position to put together a quality at-bat. Sometimes what you once did great doesn’t feel good, and you’ve gotta go out there and do something to grind that at-bat out.”
This season, Pederson is batting just .236 with 13 home runs and 33 RBI. He’s also struck out 66 times while drawing 30 walks.
If he wants to see long-term success in the majors, he will have to get that average up and those strikeouts down. Now that his weaknesses are exposed, he is going to have to make major adjustments while trying to develop into more of a contact hitter.
Still, the 24-year-old has shown over his short time in the league that he has the prospect of power and playmaking ability. Now the Dodgers will rely on Enrique Hernandez and Trayce Thompson to split time in center while Pederson recovers.
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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