Dalton Rushing, Alex Freeland & a busy day of Dodgers minor league transactions (2024)

I usually include minor league transactions in one section of each morning’s minor league report, but there were so many moves in the Dodgers minors that they get their own post here.

It was a busy few days of promotions and — with the additions of recently signed draft picks — releases of players to stay within the domestic reserve roster limit.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Catcher Dalton Rushing, shortstop Alex Freeland, and right-hander Edgardo Henriquez were all promoted to Oklahoma City.

Rushing plays left field and bats second on Tuesday, with Freeland batting fifth and playing shortstop. Oklahoma City broadcaster Alex Freedman added this:

Jordan Lyles, the 33-year-old right-hander who was released by the Royals on July 20 after five scoreless innings in relief, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers on July 25.

He was added to OKC’s roster on Tuesday makes his organization debut on Wednesday night, starting against Round Rock.

Double-A Tulsa

Outfielder Chris Newell, whose 23 home runs lead the Midwest League, was promoted to Tulsa. Same for shortstop Noah Miller, who was acquired in February from the Twins in the Manuel Margot trade.

Starting pitcher Hyun-il Choi and infielder/outfielder Brendon Davis returned to Tulsa after brief stints with Oklahoma City.

Outfielder Donovan Casey, now 28, is back with the Dodgers after signing a minor league deal, and will start with Tulsa. The Dodgers originally drafted Casey in the 20th round in 2017 out of Boston College, and he was one of four players sent to the Nationals at the 2021 trade deadline for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. Casey hit .348/.398/.575 with 16 home runs in 79 games this year for York in the independent Atlantic League.

Pitcher Kendall Williams, acquired from the Blue Jays as a player to be named later in the Ross Stripling trade in 2020, was released after a 6.70 ERA in 20 starts for Tulsa this season, with 50 strikeouts and 50 walks in 92⅔ innings.

High-A Great Lakes

Infielder Sean McLain was promoted to Great Lakes after hitting .351/.422/.588 over his last 23 games with the Quakes. He starts at second base Tuesday night for the Loons.

Twenty-year-old Juan Alonso also got promoted after hitting .229/.360/.371 in Rancho Cucamonga, as did pitcher Christian Ruebeck. Pitcher Christian Romero was sent back to the Loons after the 21-year-old from Mexico filled in for the last month and a half for both Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

Outfielder Luis Rodriguez, a 2019 international free agent signee out of Venezuela, was released after hitting .207/.294/.260 with a 66 wRC+ and 35-percent strikeout rate. Pitcher Madison Jeffrey, the Dodgers’ 15th-round draft pick in 2021, was released after a 5.58 ERA with the Loons and more walks (32) than strikeouts (29) in 30⅔ innings.

Low-A Rancho Cucamonga

Infielder Eduardo Guerrero filled in last week for Oklahoma CIty, directly from Arizona, after the trade deadline depleted some rosters. He got into one game at second base in Triple-A, and was 0-for-4. Guerrero was sent to Rancho Cucamonga, which will be the 19-year-old’s debut with the Quakes.

Also joining the Quakes from Arizona are 18-year-old outfielder Eduardo Quintero, signed by the Dodgers out of Venezuela in 2023, who hit .330/.459/.449 in the ACL, and pitcher Sterling Patick, the Dodgers’ 18th-round draft pick in 2023 out of South Hills High School in West Covina.

Pitcher Gabe Emmett was placed on the injured list.

Left-hander Moises Brito, who was one of the two players acquired from Toronto (along with Nick Frasso) in the four-player Mitch White trade in 2022, was released after a 7.84 ERA in 14 games between the Quakes and Arizona.

Arizona Complex League

Shortstop Kellon Lindsey, the Dodgers first-round draft pick this year, along with fourth-round pick, pitcher Jakob Wright, were assigned to Arizona. The ACL season is over, but there are still informal games being played at team complexes.

Pitcher Ben Serunkuma, who along with catcher Umar Male in 2022 were the first two Ugandans to sign to play baseball professionally, was released after positing a 5.06 ERA in 17 games in relief, all but one in Arizona. He pitched three games for the Quakes as well over the last two seasons.

Farewell

Austin Beck has been on the injured list for Double-A Tulsa since July 30 and last played on July 23, but has retired. The 25-year-old Beck missed all of last season with an ACL injury, the second time he’s hurt that knee. This year, after signing a minor league deal with the Dodgers in December, Beck hit .214/.294/.432 with 13 home runs and a 99 wRC+ in 65 games, and won Texas League player of the week in June.

But since then, Beck had just 10 hits in his last 86 at-bats, with 36 strikeouts, and was deadline with shoulder issues, per Lewis. Drillers manager Scott Hennessey told Barry Lewis of Tulsa World, “Austin played hard, was a great teammate, a great kid. He gave it his best shot. Sad to see him go. Glad to meet him, glad he was a Dodger.”