Dodgers News: LA Outfielder Heads to Injured List Following Saturday’s Loss to Yankees

He strained his oblique during his at-bat.

The Dodgers lost to the Yankees on Saturday night, but the game was not the biggest loss they suffered.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, right-handed outfielder Trayce Thompson came in as a pinch-hitter and had a very solid at-bat, even drawing a walk to continue the rally.

However, Thompson was removed from the game in the top of the eighth inning, raising tons of questions considering the Dodgers needed to use J.D. Martinez as the left fielder, losing the DH spot and putting him in the field for the first time since 2021.

After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed what everyone was assuming, announcing that Trayce Thompson had suffered a strained oblique, and even worse, was heading to the injured list. Doug McKain of DodgersNation.com was among those to report on the news.

Trayce strained his oblique on the check swing and is heading for an IL stint. #Dodgers

— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) June 4, 2023

This is a huge blow for Thompson, who was just starting to get back on track after a historically bad slump. He had picked up four hits in his last six at-bats, and seemed to finally be turning the corner.

Now, though, Thompson will be heading to the injured list with a strained oblique, a similar injury to the one that's taken his teammate, Ryan Pepiot, months to recover from.

In the immediate, the Dodgers will have an open roster spot, one that will likely be filled by either Michael Busch or Jonny DeLuca. Both have been raking in Triple-A, although Busch may get the edge considering he already impressed at the big league level this season.

Either way, the Dodgers will get a new bat for the next few weeks, and they'll have a real opportunity to earn themselves some playing time, especially against left-handed pitching. DeLuca is a righty, so he may have the advantage over Busch in that sense. We'll see what the Dodgers elect to do, but for now, we wish the best to Thompson on a speedy recovery.