The Dodgers optioned Busch to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Busch slashed .111/.167/.333 across 30 plate appearances during his latest two-week stay on the major-league roster. J.D. Martinez (groin) is returning from the injured list in a corresponding move ahead of Friday's series opener against the Nationals.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Goes deep in loss
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Busch went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Thursday in a loss to Atlanta.
Busch hit one of four Dodgers long balls in the contest, launching his to right field in the seventh inning. It was his second homer since being recalled from the minors Aug. 22, but just his third hit. Busch has struggled since the promotion, slashing .130/.192/.391 with eight strikeouts over 26 plate appearances.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Hits first big-league homer
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Busch went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against Cleveland.
Busch smacked a 401-foot solo shot off Gavin Williams in the fourth inning for his first long ball as a major leaguer. He added a sacrifice fly in the fifth frame to finish with his first multi-RBI effort. Busch has gone 1-for-7 since being recalled from the minors Tuesday. He had been tearing up Triple-A prior to the promotion, slashing .379/.458/.777 with 11 home runs, 27 RBI and a stolen base across his last 25 games.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Recalled from OKC
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The Dodgers recalled Busch from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA reports.
Busch has struggled in limited action at the major-league level, but he boasts a .323/.432/.615 batting line with 24 homers and 82 RBI across 88 games this season at Triple-A. The 25-year-old should get some starts on the Los Angeles infield while also cycling into the DH role as J.D. Martinez (groin) heads to the 10-day injured list.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Thriving since return to minors
Rotowire
Busch is slashing .328/.429/.680 with 12 home runs, 31 RBI, 26 runs, one stolen base and a 19:28 BB:K over 29 games since returning to Triple-A Oklahoma City in late June.
Busch has had two stints with the big club this season but has mostly struggled with a .200/.294/.267 slash line and no homers over 51 plate appearances. He's putting together a second straight strong campaign in the minors, however, and may have little left to prove there. Among other things, Busch has improved his strikeout rate to 20.2 percent with Oklahoma City after fanning over 26 percent of the time in each of his previous two minor-league seasons. There's a good chance that the 2019 first-round draft pick will get another opportunity to test his skills in the majors before the end of the season.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Optioned to OKC
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The Dodgers optioned Busch to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.
With Max Muncy (hamstring) returning from the injured list Tuesday, Busch will be pushed off the Dodgers' major-league roster. The 25-year-old infielder slashed just .192/.250/.308 across 28 plate appearances after getting called up June 16, but his .313 average and .968 OPS at the Triple-A level thus far this season suggest Busch could eventually earn another promotion.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Possible waiver wire pickups
Rotowire
We saw Busch once already this season at a time when the Dodgers were short on infielders, but he didn't really have a place to play and hardly made an impact in Fantasy. He arrives now with Max Muncy sidelined by a hamstring injury and indeed has made back-to-back starts at third base, including once against a fellow left-hander. The natural second baseman had recently transitioned to that position in the minors, almost as if the Dodgers saw this coming, and the timing couldn't be more perfect on the offensive side either. In his last nine games for Triple-A Oklahoma City, Busch hit .472 (17 for 36) with four home runs, most of them monstrous. His combination of power and plate discipline has stood out from the day he was drafted and makes him a reasonable Muncy facsimile. We'll see if he sticks this time.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Recalled from Triple-A
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Busch was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.
Busch was recalled to take the place of Max Muncy, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain. In 19 at-bats with the Dodgers earlier in the year, Busch slashed .211/.348/.211 with four walks and nine strikeouts over seven games. The 25-year-old is considered one of the better prospects in the Los Angeles system, but it's not yet clear what role he'll have during this big-league stint.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Busch was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City by the Dodgers on Thursday.
Busch didn't play a ton during his first stint in the big leagues, getting five starts over a two-and-a-half week period. He's clearing out to make room for J.D. Martinez's return from the injured list.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Gets call at second base
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Busch is starting at second base and batting ninth for the Dodgers in Monday's game versus the Phillies, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Busch started the first three games after being promoted before then sitting out the last three before this one. He's 1-for-10 with an RBI and a 5:1 K:BB in his first go-round in the big leagues.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Reaches twice in MLB debut
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Busch went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run and an RBI in Tuesday's 8-7 win against Pittsburgh.
Busch was called up from the minors prior to the contest and batted seventh while serving as Los Angeles' designated hitter in his first major-league game. The 25-year-old struck out during the second inning in his first at-bat and followed that with a groundout in the fourth before notching his first big-league hit and RBI with a single in the sixth. He walked in his final plate appearance and came around to score on a Chris Taylor home run. Busch's call-up coincided with Max Muncy going on the paternity list, so the rookie's current stay with the big club may not be long.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Batting seventh in MLB debut
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The Dodgers recalled Busch from Triple-A Oklahoma City, and he'll serve as the team's designated hitter and No. 7 batter in his MLB debut Tuesday in Pittsburgh, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Busch is joining the 26-man active roster as a replacement for Max Muncy (personal), who was placed on the paternity list. One of the top position prospects in the Dodgers' system, Busch has delivered encouraging offensive numbers throughout the upper minors, including a .337/.461/.506 batting line across 102 plate appearances this season at Oklahoma City. He may only be up with the Dodgers for the duration of Muncy's absence, though that could change if Busch turns in a big series in Pittsburgh.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Tuesday's Waiver Wire Targets
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Busch is a top-100 prospect getting the call, which is typically the kind of player we all rush out and grab. In this case, I'm not sure he really needs to be a high priority. Busch is a career .277/.363/.484 hitter with 23 homers in 132 Triple-A games, and if he was going to get a chance to play every day, I'd be pretty intrigued by him getting the call. However, it seems unlikely that his stay in the majors will be a long one, as he's getting called up to replace Max Muncy, who is going on the paternity leave list. That will likely be just for a day or two, and Busch could be back in the minors when Muncy is back. So, don't make him a high priority, but if you have a roster spot to play with, Busch is a talented player who could get more run than expected if you want to take a flier.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Headed to big leagues
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Busch is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
He's taking the roster spot of Max Muncy, who was placed on the paternity list. Busch has posted a .967 OPS with two home runs at Oklahoma City this season after submitting an .881 OPS with 32 dingers between Double-A Tulsa and Oklahoma City in 2022. He'll be making his major-league debut when he gets into a game, although Busch could be in store for a short stay when Muncy returns before the weekend.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Hits second spring homer
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Busch went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in a Cactus League contest against the Royals on Saturday.
Busch was optioned to minor-league camp nearly two weeks ago, but he's shown that he can hold his own against major-league pitching this spring. The 25-year-old has posted a .937 OPS over 36 plate appearances while driving in four runs. Busch will begin the campaign with Triple-A Oklahoma City but is likely to make his big-league debut at some point this season.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Optioned to minor-league camp
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Busch was optioned Monday to minor-league camp by the Dodgers.
Busch has struggled in his brief Cactus League sample, with a slash line of .150/.320/.300 with one homer in 25 plate appearances. Those struggles have very little to do with why he's opening the season in the minors, however, and the 25-year-old could be an option for the Dodgers at some point this summer as one of the club's best hitting prospects.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Mixed bag in Triple-A
Rotowire
Busch has a .240/.298/.474 line with 10 homers, two steals and a 13:65 BB:K in 42 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City.
He started off ice cold after being promoted in mid-May (.203 over 16 games), but Busch has hit much better over his last 26 contests, putting up a .262/.308/.542 line with eight of his Triple-A home runs. Even over the course of this relatively hot streak, though, he's been striking out at an alarming rate -- an even 35 percent -- while not drawing many walks (6.8 percent; 7.1 percent overall since being promoted). The new level has not been kind to him in that regard, as Busch had a spectacular 17.6 percent walk rate in Double-A alongside a more manageable 26.3 percent strikeout rate. With that in mind, the Dodgers will likely let Busch bide his time in the minors for most (if not all) of 2022 so that he can improve his plate discipline against higher-grade pitching.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Makes first pro start in LF
Rotowire
Busch made his first professional start in left field for Double-A Tulsa on Wednesday.
Busch has played primarily at second base during his minor-league career, though he has also seen time at first base and at DH. If he is able to handle the new position well, it could open a door to a big-league debut later this season, as outfield depth is arguably the Dodgers' biggest non-pitching need. Busch has certainly shown that he is capable at the plate -- he is slashing .305/.468/.746 with eight home runs, 19 RBI and a 17:19 BB:K in 79 plate appearances this season.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Invited to big-league camp
Rotowire
Busch was invited to the Dodgers' major-league camp Tuesday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.
Busch will get the benefit of working with the team's big-league coaching staff for a few weeks, though he's not particularly close to joining them on a permanent basis. He has a promising bat and could eventually hit for both power and average, but he's played a grand total of 10 professional games and hasn't advanced beyond Low-A.
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Dodgers' Michael Busch: Joining 60-man player pool
Rotowire
Busch joined the Dodgers' 60-man player pool Friday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
The 31st overall pick in 2019 will get better coaching than he otherwise would have with no minor-league games happening this season, but he's very unlikely to fill even a depth role this season. He's only appeared in 17 professional games after suffering a hairline fracture in his right hand last year and has yet to reach High-A.
