LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages made his major league debut against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night after being recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Pages started in center field and hit seventh for the Dodgers, who had lost four of five. The 23-year-old Cuban was hitting .371 with five home runs and 15 RBI in 15 games at Triple-A Oklahoma City after recovering from surgery last June to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
“It’s an exciting day for Andy,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s a good hitter. He’s got plus power.”
Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward has been out since March 30 because of tightness in his lower back and players receiving at-bats in his absence have struggled. Kike Hernandez entered with a .189 average and Chris Taylor was at .031 and in an 0-for-28 slump.
Taylor Trammell, who had been brought up on April 3, was designated for assignment after going 0 for 6 in five games.
“I don’t expect it to continue at this clip,” Roberts said. “But, really, the driver is Jason not being around. That’s why we went out and got Trammell initially because we thought it was going to be shorter-term.
Pages likely will get at least two weeks with the Dodgers.
“The impetus was obviously Jason being down, and we just don’t really know his timeline, so it just gives Andy a runway,” Roberts said.
Los Angeles made four other moves with Oklahoma City, optioning left-hander Nick Ramirez and right-hander Ricky Vanasco, selecting the contract of right-hander Eduardo Salazar and recalling right-hander Kyle Hart.
