James Outman’s slump could force Dodgers to make difficult decision

LOS ANGELES — The clock might be ticking on James Outman.

The second-year center fielder entered Monday’s game batting .165 with an OPS of just .559. It hasn’t been getting better recently. He was 3 for his past 28 through Sunday with seven strikeouts in his past 12 at-bats.

With the emergence of Andy Pages, Outman has been out of the lineup more frequently against left-handed starting pitching. Monday, he was dropped to ninth in the batting order.

“I just think that James is really scuffling,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the move. “He’s in between and I think that Gavin (Lux) is taking much better at-bats and I like him behind Andy.”

Roberts said Outman seems to be struggling with “uncertainty with his mechanics, uncertainty with his approach, and when you’re in that spot, it’s tough to hit.”

Outman showed some certainty in his first at-bat Monday, driving a two-run home run 437 feet to center field. It was his first home run since April 9 in Minnesota.

As a rookie, Outman had some deep slumps as well. He hit .165 in May with strikeouts in nearly half of his at-bats (34 for 79). But that followed a red-hot April (a .292 average with seven home runs and a .991 OPS) and was washed away later by another hot month in July (.309 with a .904 OPS).

He has yet to have a hot streak even approaching those this season.

“I think that to get hot, you have to have some clarity and feel good about your swing and I don’t think he has been there yet,” Roberts said. “Hopefully today when he’s taking his at-bats, I see that he feels confident and he feels convicted on his mechanics and his approach and goes out there and competes.”

If there aren’t signs of improvement soon, Outman could find himself a candidate for demotion to Triple-A when Jason Heyward returns from the injured list. Pages doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.

“If he continues to play like this, it’s hard to take him out of the lineup,” Roberts said of Pages, who has started nine games in center field and has hit .319 with a .903 OPS in his first 17 games since being promoted from Triple-A.

“We have to win baseball games and giving guys leashes and opportunities is one thing, but at the end of the day, if you’re playing the way he’s playing on both sides of the baseball, he’s earning the right to play.”

Roberts said demoting Outman to Triple-A to give him a chance to straighten things out without the pressure of performing at the major league level isn’t being discussed – “not right now,” he said. But he acknowledged that “a lot of it – or some of it – is contingent on Jason and his progression” in his return from a lower back strain.

“Right now for me, it’s go out there and try to work through some things, clear your mind and help us win a game,” Roberts said. “I’m not going to outwardly say that we’re having those conversations because we aren’t, actually. But I just want him to hopefully have some clarity and start fresh today and take good at-bats.”

KELLY OUT

The Dodgers placed right-hander Joe Kelly on the IL on Monday with a right posterior shoulder strain. That cleared a roster spot for Walker Buehler to be activated from the IL and make his first major league start since June 10, 2022.

Kelly, 35, has a 4.73 ERA over 15 appearances this season, most recently striking out the only batter he faced in Sunday’s victory over the Atlanta Braves.

The veteran right-hander joins fellow relievers Evan Phillips, Ryan Brasier, Brusdar Graterol and Kyle Hurt on the IL.

HEYWARD PROGRESS

Heyward has increased his workouts over the past few days and is “really close” to going out on a minor-league injury rehabilitation assignment, according to Roberts.

Heyward took batting practice on the field for the first time Saturday and hit with the team again before Monday’s game. He also ran the curve of the infield during his pre-game workout and has been taking simulated at-bats against the Dodgers’ high-tech Trajekt Arc pitching machine.

“He’s close (to a rehab assignment),” Roberts said. “We don’t have it planned out, but he’s getting there. I don’t see it happening during this homestand. But after the off day (Thursday) it might be a conversation.”

Heyward has not played since March 30 due to a lower back strain.

UP NEXT

Marlins (RHP Edward Cabrera, 1-1, 6.05 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 3-1, 2.91 ERA), Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market), 570 AM