The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent the second half of the season grinding through a stretch that has left them at an even 26-26 since July 1.
Injuries have piled up at an inopportune time, and with only 24 games remaining, the club is looking for any sign that its roster can stabilize before the postseason.
On Wednesday, that sign arrived in the form of encouraging news about center fielder Andy Pages.
Pages underwent surgery on his left hand after being hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh’s Bubba Chandler on August 21. The fracture required an operation two days later, and early estimates put him out four to five weeks, with the organization hoping he would be ready for October.
Less than two weeks after the procedure, Dodgers reporter David Vassegh reported that Pages is already pain-free. He is expected to begin swinging a bat within the next couple of days and start the formal swing-progression portion of his rehabilitation.
Manager Dave Roberts had said from the beginning that a return before the regular season ended was possible if everything went smoothly. This latest update supports that timeline.
The 25-year-old Cuban outfielder had been one of the more consistent producers on a star-studded roster before the injury. He was hitting .272 with a .338 on-base percentage and .458 slugging percentage, along with 21 home runs and 80 RBIs.
Even after missing nine games, he remains tied with Shohei Ohtani for the team lead in runs batted in. Pages also earned his first All-Star selection this season and started in center field at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
While he works through the early stages of rehab, the Dodgers continue their homestand against the St. Louis Cardinals. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is slated to start Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium against left-hander Brycen Mautz, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Pacific.
Tommy Edman is covering center field in Pages’ absence as the club tries to generate momentum in the final weeks of the National League West race.
A healthy Pages would restore both a proven middle-of-the-order bat and a premium defender to a lineup that has been forced into constant adjustments.
If the swing program proceeds without setbacks, Los Angeles could have its regular center fielder back in time to influence the closing stretch of the regular season and, potentially, what follows.
For a team that has spent the last two months absorbing one injury after another, that possibility is the kind of development it needed.
