Dodgers Activate Matt Kemp, Available To Pinch-Hit Tonight

According to various sources on twitter, and the world, Matt Kemp is being activated tonight, and while he will not be in the starting lineup he will be available off the bench to pinch-hit. Kemp had been rehabbing down in Camelback Ranch for the last ten days or so taking simulated at-bats, against simulated pitching. So it made sense for him to meet the club at Chase Field as they begin a four game series against Arizona, and a ten game road trip. Not sure what’s involved there, but maybe he was taking at-bats against holographic pitching? Virtual ohfers guys. The modern age gives us everything.

Look into Kemp’s eyes- Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve been hearing good reports about Kemp, that his ankle and hamstring are now healed, and his health has been progressing enough to where he can play.

What can we expect from Kemp going forward? Probably not much, but we’re hearing he is ready to play. Anthony Jackson reported that Kemp is happy and smiling and feels great, but Ken Gurnick also reported that the Bison was tentative running the bases. I’m sure it’s somewhere in between. Even Kemp at half strength is better than most of the guys on the bench.

Kemp had been doing base running drills in front of Stan Conte before today’s game. Kemp hasn’t played in a major league game since July 21. It can take weeks for hitters to regain their timing, and we saw how awful he looked in his rehab games at Rancho a couple of weeks ago.

I think the Dodgers were just running out of time with Kemp. It was either activate him now, or shut him down for the rest of the season. The club had initially said he was unlikely to play again this year, but we know how frequently the team changes their minds on injury timelines. But with Andre Ethier, and Carl Crawford out with nagging injuries, Kemp’s return could be a big boost to the Dodger offense. I’m going to guess that Kemp will probably be in the starting lineup tomorrow night.

With the Dodgers on the verge of clinching the NL West division crown, they could use these remaining games to get Kemp ready for the playoffs. If Kemp is healthy and can contribute anything, then the Dodgers would have a huge advantage going into the playoffs.

Kemp has played in just 62 games this season, and has posted a triple slash line of .263/.319/.382 with five home runs, 27 runs driven in, and a .700 OPS in 251 plate appearances.

I say throw him right in the fire. Why not? I would rather see what Kemp has than anymore Nick Buss starts. Here’s hoping we see the return of a healthy Kemp, and we see the return of the guy who was one of the best players in Baseball just two years ago. The Dodgers could use some Beastmode not only in the playoffs, but right now as well.