Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Talks James Outman's Mini Struggle in the Box

The ups and downs of a long season.

This game is really hard sometimes. Baseball is one of those games where your stats can be elite but you can be in the midst of a terrible slump. For Dodgers' rookie James Outman, it's not quite like that but still things have been a little tougher since his Rookie of the Month effort in April.

Over his last week, Jimmy is hitting just .227 but is still posting a solid enough .775 OPS -- especially for a "slump." The game hasn't come as easy for Outman and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts thinks he knows why.

“I think what’s getting him most is the fastball at the top of the zone,” Roberts said before Friday's game. “But his track record is that he handles that pitch. I think for me, I think he’ll recalibrate. He’ll be able to get on the fastball more. I think for me, his ability to check up on the balls down below, I think he’s still doing a job of that.”

Outman has already adjusted to the league's adjustment to him a couple times this season and this is just the next test in a long season. His season overall has still been a bona fide success. He's second on the Dodgers in OPS (.946, 11th best in MLB among qualified batters), home runs (8), and runs batted in (23).

The biggest knock on the rookie is the strikeouts. He leads the team in Ks with 48 (t-5th most in MLB). He's striking out in 32.4 percent of the time, but as long as he keeps hitting the ball hard when he makes contact, that's not a huge problem.

We're just in the midst of the ups and downs of a 162 game season. James Outman will be fine in no time.

Nice Tweets with James Outman

Hair, celeb lookalikes and the Himalayas. This is Nice Tweets featuring James Outman. 😂 pic.twitter.com/pvqPnbrhS7

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 10, 2023