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The Los Angeles Dodgers are off to a 4-2 start in 2024. The ball club split the opening series in South Korea with the San Diego Padres 1-1, and they most recently took three of four from the St. Louis Cardinals. Los Angeles is making a roster move ahead of their upcoming series with the San Francisco Giants, however.
The Dodgers are reportedly promoting veteran pitcher Dinelson Lamet, per Robert Murray of FanSided. It's not the Andy Pages promotion Dodgers fans have been looking forward to, but Lamet is a veteran pitcher would could play a big role for the team.
Dinelson Lamet receives new opportunity with Dodgers
The Dodgers signed Lamet this past offseason. Lamet, 31, was once a highly regarded starting pitcher who had plenty of potential. He struggled in his first couple of big-league seasons with the San Diego Padres but flashed signs of dominance in 2020.
During the shortened 2020 campaign, Lamet pitched to a sparkling 2.09 ERA across 12 outings. Lamet ultimately finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting as a result.
He took a step in the wrong direction in 2021 and split time between the starting rotation and bullpen. San Diego went in a different direction in 2022 and Lamet joined the Colorado Rockies during the season.
After struggling mightily with the Rockies, Lamet ended up with the Boston Red Sox but appeared in only one big-league game.
However, we have seen former starting pitchers turn their careers around as relievers. The Dodgers also have a reputation for helping pitchers figure things out. Perhaps Lamet will benefit from the Dodgers pitching coaches and working in the bullpen for LA.
So what about Andy Pages?
We mentioned exciting Dodgers prospect Andy Pages earlier. He is currently LA's No. 3 overall prospect, per MLB.com.
Pages certainly caught the Dodgers' attention in spring training. He slashed .471/.571/1.000 across seven games played. Pages added two home runs, one double, and one triple in just 17 at-bats. He made the most of his opportunity but still did not break camp with the big-league ball club.
Pages is probably ready for an MLB promotion. The primary concern right now is playing time. The Dodgers don't want a young player like Pages to be stuck in either a bench or platoon role.
Teoscar Hernandez, James Outman, Jason Heyward, Enrique Hernandez, Chris Taylor, and Mookie Betts can all play the outfield for this Dodgers team. Still, having a potential star like Pages ready to go at Triple-A gives the Dodgers a safety net if injuries or underperformance become a concern in the outfield.
If Pages performs well to begin the Triple-A campaign, however, the Dodgers will not have much of a choice but to promote him.
Dodgers' 2024 outlook after strong start to season
The division is the Dodgers' for the taking again. Perhaps the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, and San Diego Padres will challenge LA. But even that seems unlikely given how stacked the Dodgers' roster is at the moment.
The big three of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman is enough to scare opposing pitchers. The rest of the lineup is dangerous as well, and the entire pitching staff features the potential to be excellent.
It is going to be an exciting season in Los Angeles. The question is whether or not the Dodgers can erase their recent struggles in the playoffs and make a World Series run.
