Dodgers deal for Thompson

L.A. reacquires outfielder, a right-handed hitter, from Detroit to help fill in for the injured Betts.

The trade deadline is still six weeks away. But in the wake of an injury to star right fielder Mookie Betts, a lack of obvious replacement options in the organization and a monthlong slump from the lineup at large, the Dodgers felt compelled in recent days to seek out another right-handed hitter.

On Monday, they found it, acquiring Trayce Thompson from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for cash considerations.

In trading for Thompson, the Dodgers will get a six-year majorleague veteran who has shown the ability to hit for power. Though he is just a career .205 hitter, Thompson has 26 home runs in 640 plate appearances.

Thompson, a 31-year-old Los Angeles native who went to high school at Santa Margarita and is the younger brother of Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, previously played for the Dodgers, appearing in parts of the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Since then, he has bounced around to various organizations. In 2018, he spent time with the Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox, the team that drafted him in the second round in 2009. Last season, he played 15 games for the Chicago Cubs.

This year he signed with the San Diego Padres in March and went one for 14 in six games before being designated for assignment in May. He signed a minor league deal with the Tigers after that.

In 41 triple-A games this year, he has 17 home runs, a .305 batting average and 1.086 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

On Sunday, the Dodgers placed Betts on the injured list after discovering he had suffered a fractured rib in a collision with Cody Bellinger. Earlier this month, outfielder Kevin Pillar was lost to a season-ending injury.