Dodgers News: James Outman's Escape From Cold Streak Impresses Roberts
We knew Dodgers rookie James Outman was going to endure his first slump at some point. After having a scorching hot start to the 2023 season, Outman finally went through his first mini-slump at the big league level this past week.
Outman went three straight appearances without a hit against the Pirates and Cardinals, going 0-for-11 in that time with nine strikeouts. He was struggling to find his way at the plate, however, the rookie didn’t let it get to his head.
On Saturday against the Cardinals, Outman finally got back on track. He had two hits in three at-bats, and had a huge stolen base that led to him scoring the only run of the game in a 1-0 Dodgers win.
After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had high praise for the rookie dealing with the mini-slump, and working his way through his first real struggle at the big league level.
“It’s been a tough few days for James, but even today, he came in fresh and positive, expecting something good to happen, as opposed to kind of running away and hiding,” Roberts said. “You learn from players once they have a little bit of struggle, but our expectation is that James is going to be just fine.”
Heading into this season, Outman wasn’t expected to be on the Dodgers Opening Day roster. If not for a Gavin Lux injury, he likely wouldn’t have been.
Then, after making the roster, there was no guarantee he’d play much. He was in quite the logjam in the outfield, and was expected to be in a platoon with the other five outfielders on the roster — except Mookie Betts, who would be an everyday player. But, very quickly, Outman's play forced him to join Betts as a consistent player in the lineup.
Outman has continued to rake all year, and has been one of the best hitters in the big leagues this season. He’s given the Dodgers everything they could have asked for and more, turning into an everyday outfielder on this team full of veterans.
The Dodgers would love Outman to continue his dominance, especially now that the lineup is finally getting healthy (and off paternity leave). If he can keep up his contributions in that No. 6 spot in the lineup, the Dodgers are going to continue to be one of the best offenses in baseball — and at some point, that will turn into a run of wins.
