Dodgers Way Quick Hits: Kemp, Turner, Maeda, Rotation

The Dodgers had an off day on Monday, June 11, as they prepare for a two-game series with the Texas Rangers in Los Angeles. Despite not having a game, there is still plenty of news to cover.

In the first publication of All-Star vote counts, Matt Kemp ranks third amongst NL outfielder. The 33-year old Kemp, who has acquired as a part of a salary dump trade this past offseason, is enjoying a career year in his return to LA. Kemp currently (as a of Monday, June 11) ranks third in the NL in batting average at .338, seventh in RBIs at 41, and fifth in OPS among qualified batters at .932. Kemp has also improved his defense from last year. In the All-Star voting count, Kemp trails only Bryce Harper and Nick Markakis in votes which, if voting ended today, would get him into the starting lineup. If you want to vote for Kemp and help send him to the All-Star game, you can click here.

Other notes…

• Justin Turner has been dealing with a sore wrist over what is unfortunately about a week’s worth of games. Turner broke the same wrist in Spring Training and missed over a month of the season coming back from the injury. Despite missing some time, Turner told the media on Monday that he hopes to start in the series opener against the Rangers and should be a regular starter moving forward. Turner’s return to the lineup will move Max Muncy back to first base and Cody Bellinger to centerfield.

More from Dodgers Way

• Kevin Kiermaier being ‘top target’ to replace Cody Bellinger is bad sign for Dodgers
• Are the Dodgers really prepared to hand Shohei Ohtani a blank check?
• Dodgers fans shouldn’t dismiss interest in Dansby Swanson for this reason
• Giants laughably sign pitcher that Dodgers absolutely own
• Dave Roberts’ quote about Padres in NLDS should motivate Dodgers

• Also getting ready to return from the DL is Kenta Maeda. Kenta has been on the shelf with a hamstring issue and, as expected, missed just a short time while recovering from the injury. Maeda is also enjoying a nice season but perhaps most importantly is whether or not Maeda can provide some relief for a bullpen that has been taxed beyond belief this year. 

Next: Dodgers: Is Clayton Kershaw Turning Into the Classic "What If" Case?

• The Dodgers rotation finds itself in a state of flux. Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda, and Hyun Jin Ryu are all on the DL for varying lengths of time. So, for the time being, the Dodgers have tapped into their minor league depth quite a bit by adding Daniel Corcino, Caleb Ferguson, and Dennis Santana to make big league appearances. Ferguson will start tomorrow’s game against Bartolo Colon and the Ranger and it should be an interesting game to follow. In his first start of the season and of his career, Ferguson did not make it out of the second inning and many fans wondered if he was ready for the big leagues. With the first one out of the way, game two of his career should provide more clarity on how much time he really needs before making his next pro-appearance.