Dodgers call up top prospect for MLB debut in hopes of sparking life into lineup

It's easy to look at the first six batters in the Dodgers' lineup and see a winning team. Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Max Muncy, and Teoscar Hernández have all been doing their jobs and doing them well, but when you get a little further down, things start to get murkier. James Outman, Chris Taylor, and Gavin Lux have hit a collective .124 to start the season, and the bench isn't looking much better.

Miguel Rojas got off to a hot start, but has cooled significantly, and Kiké Hernández hasn't been able to find much life since re-signing with LA. Taylor Trammell, traded for and immediately slotted into the 26-man spot Jason Heyward vacated with injury, has yet to get his first hit for the Dodgers in six plate appearances.

We're still in the early days, yes, but it's become clear that the Dodgers need to make some kind of offensive change past their top guys.

During spring training, outfielder and No. 3 prospect Andy Pages was roaring, full speed ahead. He hit .471 with a 1.571 OPS over seven games, which led to some calls for him to make the Opening Day roster, even after missing 2023 with shoulder issues and "stunting his growth" (in theory). Instead, he was cut early on and sent back to Triple-A, where he continued to mash.

Now, in light of Landon Knack and Ricky Vanasco getting pulled up to try to breathe life into the pitching staff, Pages is getting his shot as well. Per Francys Romero, he'll get the call ahead of the Dodgers' Game 2 against the Nationals.

Dodgers are calling up No. 3 prospect Andy Pages for his MLB debut

Down in Triple-A, Pages has been hitting .371 with a 1.146 OPS, five home runs, and 15 RBI after getting only three at-bats in Oklahoma City at the tail end of the season last year, post-recovery. He batted .284/.430/.495 in Double-A with three home runs and 25 RBI in 33 games, so he's already on pace to blast through those benchmarks in the next level up.

As of now, it's unclear who will get the push from the 26-man in order to accommodate Pages, but our money's on Trammell, who is without minor league options and will unfortunately have to go the way of waivers or a trade for cash.

It's Pages' chance to prove that the Dodgers made the wrong call when they cut him in spring training, and to fight for a longer-term spot if the rest of the bottom of the lineup can't clean up their acts.