The Dodgers were reinstated Freddie Freeman on a limited and selected list Cavan Biggio for the assignment, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Bigio joined the Dodgers organization in a June trade with the Blue Jays. Over 3o games with LA, he hit .192/.306/.329 with a paltry .635 OPS and 88 wRC+. The 29-year-old has played most of the time at third base, but has taken the reins at first when Freeman is out of the team.
Freeman went on the family's emergency list when her son was hospitalized in late July. The first baseman was later transferred to the restricted list as a matter of law; players can only stay on the family emergency list for a maximum of seven days. Thankfully, her son was released from the hospital and returned home (via Chelsea Freeman on Instagram). Freeman will return to the Dodgers lineup for tonight's game against the Phillies.
The Dodgers already had an open spot on their 40-man roster, but they needed to free up a spot on the active roster to bring back Freeman. Given Bigio's poor performance with LA and the team's recent acquisition of another utility player (Amed Rosario) and another left-handed hitter (Kevin Kiermaier) on the bench, it was no surprise that Bigio was an unusual man. In addition, Ardaya notes that the Dodgers are hoping to open up a shortstop Miguel Rojas from the 10-day IL sometime in the coming days. He, too, will need a spot on the active roster.
If another team wants Bigio off waivers, they will be responsible for the small portion of his 2024 salary still on the Dodgers' books; the Blue Jays picked up a large chunk of his remaining salary as part of their trade with the Dodgers in June. He made $4.21MM this season in his second year of arbitration eligibility. If he is not claimed, the Dodgers can try to send him directly to the minor leagues, but as a player with more than five years of MLB service, Biggio will have the right to refuse the assignment without losing any salary.
In more Dodgers news, Ardaya reports that the team plans to activate one Brusdar Graterol or Michael Grove from IL “as soon as tonight.” Grove, 27, has been on IL for 15 days since mid-June with an intercostal strain. He has a 5.06 ERA (but a 2.97 SIERA) in 37 1/3 innings pitched this season. Graterol, 25, missed the entire season with a shoulder injury. He is on the IL 60-day roster, so he is not signing a spot on the 40-man roster. However, the Dodgers already had a 40-man cap space before they dealt Freeman and DFA'd Biggio, so they would only need to clear a spot on the 26-man roster to make Graterol.
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