The Los Angeles Dodgers are a team that, coming into the season, expected to have a ton of outfield depth. In fact, some said they may even have too much depth - but that hasn't played out. Andre Ethier fractured his tibia and will be out for a while, and Carl Crawford is on the disabled list with a back injury.
Now, the team that was supposed to be so deep in the outfield has resorted to playing Howie Kendrick, their starting second basemen, in left field. Kendrick has played just 20 games there in his career, but fortunately it doesn't look like he will have to play there for much longer.
Crawford had to be held out of the lineup for a couple of days earlier this month due to back soreness and, instead of having an unavailable player on their bench, the Dodgers decided to just place him on the DL. All along, the Dodgers did not think the injury was all that serious, as he didn't even get an MRI, and expected him back when he was eligible.
Crawford still appears to be on track to return when he is eligible, which is the weekend series against the Colorado Rockies. This past weekend, Crawford was able to run at full speed, so the Dodgers decided to send him out on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he is expected to begin playing tonight.
Typically, players that are on the DL for as short a period of time, as Crawford has been, don't require rehab assignments, but the Dodgers decided to do it anyway. A couple of the reasons could be that he is ready before he is eligible to come off the DL, so they want to keep him fresh, and, also, he has only had 11 at-bats this season, so keeping him in the swing of things should benefit him when he returns to the majors.
Crawford started the season as the Dodgers' primary left fielder due to Ethier's injury and will likely regain that role when he gets back. Los Angeles has tried Kike Hernandez, Trayce Thompson, Scott Van Slyke and Kendrick in left field while he was out. Through his first 11 at-bats, Crawford has three hits (.273 average) and two RBIs and should give the Dodgers a steady left fielder moving forward.
