Abreu up, Kuo down
The Dodgers have purchased the contract of hot-hitting, multi-faceted infielder Tony Abreu from Triple-A Las Vegas, sliding him into the vacant 40-man spot that has existed since Wilson Valdez was designated for assignment last week. Abreu, who was hitting .347 with a .397 OBP at Vegas, is in tonight's lineup at 3B and batting eighth. He will be making his major-league debut, and because he still has all of his options, he affords the Dodgers a bit of roster flexibility if they decide to go back to 12 pitchers. Abreu won the Jim and Dearie Mulvey Award during big-league spring training as the top rookie in camp.
Tony Jackson is in his fourth season covering the Dodgers for the 
Comments
Tony, do Ned and Grady have a plan for anything? I wish i wasn't being serious.
Posted by: The_Great_Arcade_Fire | May 22, 2007 4:05 PM
this is a sign of desperation in my opinion....what the heck are they doing? Can they give their top prospect more than 40 abs to proive himself....geesh.
Posted by: rayg | May 22, 2007 4:09 PM
It could be that they're 'hiding' LaRoche to certain extent so that if/when they trade him the casual fan won't even notice he's gone and will be happy we got Rolen or Glaus or whoever. And if that's true, that's horrible. He could have just been brought up as a showcase. He's definitely worth more than Abreu on the trade market.
Posted by: J.L. | May 22, 2007 4:15 PM
TJ-can you ask Grady what his plan is for Abreu and Laroche? it appears to this Dodger fan living in NJ that he doesn't have one. He hs mived Betemit and Laroche in and out of the lineup so far. Is he going to do the same with Abreu and Laroche?
How about sitting Pierre a few times per week...they guy has all the speed in the world and continue to hit flyballs and popups....can the guy bunt every once in awhile? where's Brett Butler when you need him?
Posted by: rayg | May 22, 2007 4:31 PM
The reasoning for this move is simple: The Dodgers don't feel LaRoche is ready to take over 3B full-time. And since Betemit is a terrible starter, this gives them a viable alternative.
Posted by: Marcel | May 22, 2007 4:41 PM
For a team with the resources the Dodgers have ($$ to spend and stocked farm system), they have put together a funky roster. If LaRoche is going to the bench, I'd rather see Kemp added to the roster and put into the outfield mix. This team needs a power bat. I'll assume more moves are in the works soon. Hopefully Kuo is going to Vegas to get "stretched out" and take Tomko's spot in the rotation.
Posted by: SteveA | May 22, 2007 4:48 PM
Marcel-and Abreu is ready to take over 3b fulltime? I think not. He just moved there a few weeks ago.
To me, this is either a desperation move or there is a deal in the works.
Posted by: rayg | May 22, 2007 5:12 PM
No, Abreu probably won't play everyday. What I meant was, he provides the Dodgers with a legit bat in case LaRoche doesn't produce enough.
Posted by: Marcel | May 22, 2007 5:16 PM
Grady wouldn't name a regular 3B, so it appears that all three of these guys (Abreu, Betemit and LaRoche) are going to see time over there. He also said Abreu can play 2B and SS, although he didn't say that he WILL. He's in there tonight, so let's see what happens. And yes, Kuo is going to be stretched out in Vegas
Posted by: tony jackson | May 22, 2007 5:35 PM