D’Arnaud, who spent the first six seasons of his MLB career with the New York Mets, signed with the Dodgers on May 5 just a few days after being released by the Mets. The 30-year-old appeared in just one game for Los Angeles and went hitless in his lone at-bat as a pinch hitter. In his previous 10 games with New York, d’Arnaud collected just two hits in 23 at-bats. D’Arnaud will likely help fill in for Mike Zunino, who landed on the 10-day injured list with a left quad strain and is expected to miss over a month of action.<doc-sep>PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 21: Travis d'Arnaud #18 of the New York Mets poses for a photo on Photo Day at First Data Field on February 21, 2019 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) From the National League’s top team to the American League’s top team, the Dodgers have traded backstop and eventual utility man Travis d’Arnaud to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations. d’Arnaud’s timeline with the Dodgers was short lived and his listing of recent events is undesirable. On May 3, the New York Mets released the struggling and injury prone catcher just five days after designating him for assignment on April 28. Two days after his release, on May 5, the Dodgers signed d’Arnuad to a one-year deal that would keep him on the roster through the end of the 2019 season. On May 10, the Dodgers traded d’Arnaud to the Rays. For his time spent in Los Angeles, there was not much to speak of. d’Arnuad saw just one at-bat in which he grounded out and did not play at any point in the field. Had he stayed longer than a few days, the Dodgers planned for d’Arnuad to be a utility player, not a catcher. For the Rays, the trade makes sense following the loss of Mike Zunino to a quadricep issue that should keep him on the shelf for just shy of a month. Zunino’s injury came just a few days after secondary Rays catcher Michael Perez was placed on the injured list with an oblique ailment. d’Arnaud figures to step into the Tampa Bay catching mix and could, hypothetically, continue on the same utility track the Dodgers had set him on prior to the trade. The Rays do currently have two catchers on the roster so d’Arnuad’s services behind the plate are far from required. For the AL East leader, d’Arnuad is simply a hopeful add to the roster. In 24 at-bats this year, d’Arnuad has just two hits for a .083 batting average. The Dodgers will fill the roster spot with a catcher according to multiple reporters although the identity of the catcher has yet to be revealed. Rocky Gale and Keibert Ruiz are the only options currently on the 40-man roster.<doc-sep>LOS ANGELES — Like house flippers, the Dodgers acquired a distressed asset and flipped it for cash. Five days after signing catcher Travis d’Arnaud, the Dodgers traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations Friday. The Rays will be d’Arnaud’s third organization in a little more than a week. He was released by the New York Mets before the Dodgers signed him. Acquired to be a right-handed bat off the bench, d’Arnaud made just one appearance for the Dodgers, grounding out as a pinch-hitter in Thursday’s loss to the Washington Nationals. The Dodgers had plans to possibly work d’Arnaud in at first base or left field and he was working out at first base this week. But the Rays needed an experienced catcher – even one coming off Tommy John surgery as d’Arnaud is. The Rays both of their primary catchers to injuries in the past week. Mike Zunino injured a quad muscle and Michael Perez an oblique, leaving them with inexperienced options in Anthony Bemboom and Nick Ciuffo. Trading d’Arnaud leaves the Dodgers with the same dilemma that led them to sign him in the first place – they have no viable options in the organization to add a right-handed hitter to the bench in A.J. Pollock’s absence. Backup catcher Rocky Gale was promoted to take d’Arnaud’s spot on the roster Friday. Gale made four starts earlier this season when Russell Martin was on the Injured List and went 2 for 14 (.143). ROTATION HESITATION The Dodgers (and Seattle Mariners) have played a major-league high 41 games through Friday. But the rest of the league is about to get a chance to catch up. Starting Monday, the Dodgers will have four off days in a span of 11 days. Welcome as the rest might be, it also presents a dilemma for the Dodgers. If they stay with a five-man starting rotation during that stretch, it would mean making starts on five or six days of rest multiple times. “We’re talking through it,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “With the off days to keep things in line, there’s obviously a cost as far as days and rest. We haven’t made a decision yet, but we’re working through it and we’ll do what’s best for each individual pitcher and for the team.” MINOR MATTERS The Dodgers made another deal for cash considerations Friday, trading Triple-A outfielder Paulo Orlando to the Chicago White Sox. Related Articles Astros end Dodgers’ 8-game winning streak with home runs Hoornstra: Finding MLB’s real 20,000th player, with apologies to Jose Godoy Dodgers’ Mookie Betts on his slow start: ‘There’s no excuses, I’m just not playing well’ Clayton Kershaw, Justin Turner help Dodgers beat back memories and Astros Dodgers ‘move on’ but not forgiving Astros or forgetting what happened in 2017 Orlando, 33, was a non-roster invitee to the Dodgers’ big-league camp this spring. He hit .211 with two home runs in 24 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City to start the season. Meanwhile, the Dodgers also signed Japanese pitcher Yujo Kitagata to a minor-league deal. The 25-year-old Kitagata was drafted by the Yokahma Bay Stars of Japan’s Eastern League in 2012 but never pitched for them. The right-hander was instead playing in an independent league in Japan where he reportedly reached 99 mph. Earlier in the week, the Dodgers released former major-leaguers Josh Smoker and Ezequiel Carrera from the Triple-A roster. ALSO Left-hander Caleb Ferguson began his rehab assignment by pitching an inning for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Friday night. Ferguson struck out the first two batters and walked the third. That baserunner was thrown out trying to steal second base. … Shortstop Corey Seager was a last-minute scratch from the starting lineup Friday. According to Roberts, a personal matter came up and Seager left to attend to it. He returned to the bench late in the game. UP NEXT Nationals (RHP Max Scherzer, 1-4, 3.78 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Walker Buehler, 4-0, 4.95 ERA), Saturday, 6:10 p.m., SportsNet LA (where available), KTLA/5, MLB Network (out of market only), 570 AM<doc-sep>Travis d'Arnaud's tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers is over after one pinch-hit appearance. The former New York Mets catcher who signed with the Dodgers on Sunday has been traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for $100,000, the teams announced Friday. The Dodgers signed d'Arnaud to a one-year deal on Sunday and anticipated using him as a backup catcher and first baseman. But the Rays, dealing with injuries to Mike Zunino and Michael Perez, were in the market for a catcher who could help out now. Zunino went on the injured list with a quad injury on Friday and is expected to miss four to five weeks. D'Arnaud is a lifetime .242 hitter, with 47 home runs and 164 RBIs over seven seasons with the Mets. D'Arnaud, 30, was sidelined for most of last season following Tommy John surgery in April 2018. He was activated April 7 and was expected to be the Mets backup, but he went 2-for-23 before being designated for assignment on April 28. The Mets are on the hook for most of his $3.5 million salary. The Associated Press contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images The Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly traded catcher Travis d'Arnaud to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations on Friday, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay is the third team for d'Arnaud in 2019. The 30-year-old appeared in just one game for the Dodgers following his release from the New York Mets. For the season, he's hitting .083 with two RBI. D'Arnaud was released by the Mets last Friday and signed by the Dodgers on Sunday. Los Angeles was planning on utilizing d'Arnaud as not only a third catcher but also at both first and third base, two positions he hadn't played professionally before. "We're trying to get Travis synced up with the pitchers and also the depth that we do have with the catching," manager Dave Roberts said Thursday, per Jorge Castilla of the Los Angeles Times. "But I really like the way [Austin Barnes'] been behind the plate, trending in the right direction at the plate. And the same thing with Russell [Martin]. Travis is certainly on my mind of trying to get him involved and in there, but I can't tell you when." Just once, it turned out, before the Dodgers traded him to Tampa Bay. He had all of once at-bat with L.A. With Mike Zunino (quadriceps) and Michael Perez (oblique) both on the injured list, the Rays had a greater need for a catcher in the short term, so the deal made sense on both ends. Video Play Button Videos you might like For d'Arnaud, meanwhile, it's been a strange 2019 season after a tumultuous start with the Mets and a short-lived spell with the Dodgers. Injuries limited him to just four games last season, meanwhile, and if he doesn't find a role with the Rays, he could find himself running low on suitors at the MLB level.