Tampa Bay Rays end Travis d’Arnaud experiment with Los Angeles Dodgers
By David Hill
The Travis d’Arnaud Era with the Los Angeles Dodgers came to an end on Friday, as he was acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays.
When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Travis d’Arnaud, the plan was to turn him into a super utility player. His days as an every day backstop were seemingly over, as the Dodgers were going to give him a look at first and left. At least, that was the plan.
On Friday, those plans changed. d’Arnaud was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, with the ever popular cash considerations heading back to Los Angeles in return.
The Dodgers traded C Travis d'Arnaud to the Rays for cash considerations, ending his very short stint in Los Angeles.
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) May 10, 2019
“It was a good run," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "That simulated game we had the other day — it was great."
And so ends d’Arnaud’s time in Los Angeles. It was a truly unforgettable run, with his one plate appearance in those five days. His groundout to short in the bottom of the fifth against Patrick Corbin will echo through Dodgers lore for years to come.
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In all seriousness, d’Arnaud will have more of an opportunity for playing time in Tampa Bay. Both Mike Zunino and Michael Perez are on the injured list, leaving Nick Ciuffo and Anthony Bemboom as the two catchers in the majors. Ciuffo has not exactly hit in his limited major league action, with a .175/.244/.275 batting line in 47 plate appearances heading into Friday.
The 29 year old Bemboom has never had a plate appearance at the major league level, having spent the past eight years in the Angels and Rockies systems before joining the Rays. While Bemboom has graded out as a solid defensive catcher in the minors, his lifetime .235/.309/.349 batting line with 32 homers and 60 doubles in 1762 plate appearances does not inspire confidence.
For d’Arnaud, this is a chance to reestablish himself at the major league level. The one time top prospect had a solid run of success from 2014 through 2017, although injuries, including Tommy Joh surgery, limited his contributions. d’Arnaud has not exactly lit the world afire this season, either in his brief time in Los Angeles or as the backup to Wilson Ramos, with just two hits in 26 plate appearances.
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The Tampa Bay Rays need help at catcher in the short term. Travis d’Arnaud may be able to provide that needed boost to the lineup if he can return to form.