Andy Pages' numbers since Dodgers benched him are saving him from once certain fate

Ten or so games into the season, Andy Pages appeared to be ready to book his own ticket back to Oklahoma City. He'd started the the Dodgers' first 11 games in either left or center field, and after shoddy defense and batting .118, he was benched for the first time on April 7. That, combined with Hyeseong Kim doing well in Triple-A and offering a lot more defensive versatility, seemed like the perfect recipe for a demotion.

Instead (miraculously), Pages has been on a tear since he was benched. He hit a home run on April 8, then followed it up with another homer the next day. He cooled down for a few games after that, but then picked it up again in a big way. From April 8 through the Dodgers' most recent game against the Pirates, he's batting .388 with a 1.178 OPS, making him a more productive hitter than Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman in their last 14 games.

Pages is currently on a five-game hitting streak, three of which have been three-hit days, with three extra-base hits, a home run and four RBI on Sunday night alone. He was also named co-NL Player of the Week on Monday, so Oklahoma City is probably going to have to wait.

Andy Pages has somehow turned into the Dodgers' best hitter since being benched on April 7

The Dodgers are tied with the Tigers for the third-best record in baseball and are second in the NL West, so they're dealing with high-class problems whenever anyone talks about their recent struggles. Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman are all still batting well, but it does speak to a larger problem that three MVPs are getting out-hit by a sophomore who looked like he was on the verge of being sent down just a few weeks ago.

Still, it's great for Pages, who was taking it in the shins from Dodgers fans before he really started to get going. He had a decent but not earth-shattering rookie season, and he really only made the Opening Day roster because Kim didn't. Meanwhile, fellow young outfielder James Outman has been a non-factor.

While Kim still seems like an inevitability, the Dodgers may have to think harder about who they cut from the roster in his place. (Chris Taylor has still only gotten three starts and 14 at-bats in 15 games. Wink-nudge, Dodgers).