The Rays have been one of the early season success stories in 2019. Tampa currently sits atop the AL East standings with a 23-13 record and a 1.5 game lead over the Yankees. With a +59 run differential on the season, they have been dominant since the start of the season on both sides of the ball. However, they recently hit a bit of a snag as both catcher Michael Perez and catcher Mike Zunino hit the 10 day IL recently which left the Rays with a hole in their roster at least temporarily. Fortunately, the team was able to find a player to fill in. BREAKING: #Rays are acquiring C Travis D’arnaud from #Dodgers for cash considerations — Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) May 10, 2019 It wasn’t THAT long ago that Travis d’Arnaud was thought to be the future behind the plate for the New York Mets as he posted a top 10 Rookie of the Year finish in 2014 and posted an .825 OPS season the year after that. However, d’Arnaud say his production slip after that and after only playing four games in 2018 total and struggling mightily for the Mets to start the 2019 season, New York moved him to the Dodgers who subsequently flipped Travis to the Rays for cash. In 11 games this season, d’Arnaud has slashed .083/.154/.083 in 26 plate appearances.<doc-sep>Ahead of Friday Night Fireworks, the Dodgers put on a pregame show full of entertainment. They made two trades in two separate deals, both for cash considerations. The biggest move? Catcher Travis d’Arnaud was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays. This news was broken by Tampa Bay Times reporter, Marc Topkin. BREAKING: #Rays are acquiring C Travis D’arnaud from #Dodgers for cash considerations — Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) May 10, 2019 d’Arnaud was signed by the Dodgers on May 5 after the Mets released his $3.5 million contract. The Lakewood High School alumnus only made one appearance in a Dodgers uniform — a pinch-hit at-bat on May 9 against the Nationals. Reports say the Dodgers will likely recall a catcher from their farm system to fill in the empty roster spot. The #Dodgers are calling up another catcher in their system. Haven’t announced which yet. Player is en route & will show up after game begins, likely. d’Arnaud is headed to the #Rays. — Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) May 10, 2019 This spot may be claimed by Rocky Gale. Gale has already seen some time in the big leagues this year, taking the place of Russell Martin during his stint on the injured list. He went 2-for-14 with seven strikeouts. In their second move of the day, the Dodgers traded outfielder Paulo Orlando to the Chicago White Sox for cash, reported by Bill Plunkett of the OC Register. Orlando spent Spring Training at Camelback Ranch with the team and started the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He appeared in 24 games with a .211 batting average and .394 slugging percentage. Rotation news The starting rotation is expected to have some movement soon, in order to give a few of the starters extra rest, as reported by Ken Gurnick. There is no further information on this report.<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>The Travis d’Arnaud era in Los Angeles is over. Five days after the catcher signed with the team he grew up cheering for in Long Beach, the Dodgers shipped him to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash. The Dodgers recalled catcher Rocky Gale from triple-A Oklahoma City to replace d’Arnaud on the roster. “He’s going to go out there and get more playing time,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And for us to try to give him an opportunity and runway, it’s just been difficult.” When asked if another catcher was called up because Austin Barnes or Russell Martin, the Dodgers’ top two catchers, was hurt, Roberts said both are healthy. Gale, 31, appeared in four games and started two for the Dodgers earlier in the season. He went two for 14. The Dodgers must wait 10 days before they can recall Matt Beaty, who was sent down when d’Arnaud arrived. Advertisement The brief marriage between the Dodgers and d’Arnaud was uneventful. D’Arnaud signed and joined the team Sunday in San Diego, took a couple of at-bats in a simulated game at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, and appeared in his only game in a Dodger uniform as a pinch-hitter Thursday. He grounded out. “Man, it was a good run,” Roberts joked. “That simulated game we had was great.” D’Arnaud, 30, began the season on the 10-day injured list with the New York Mets as he completed his recovery from Tommy John surgery. He was activated April 7 and went two for 23 at the plate before he was designated for assignment, ending an injury-riddled seven-year career in Queens that began with d’Arnaud as a highly touted prospect. The Mets, however, are still on the hook to pay d’Arnaud $3.5 million this season. Sign up for our Dodgers newsletter » The Dodgers signed d’Arnaud as a third catcher, an unorthodox roster decision spawned from the club’s dearth of right-handed hitters after A.J. Pollock underwent elbow surgery. But Roberts said the club was planning on using d’Arnaud at first base and left field in addition to catcher. The problem was d’Arnaud has never played first base or left field as a professional. He would’ve had to learn on the fly. He was trying to this week, doing work at both positions before games. The experiment ended swiftly. D’Arnaud will catch for the Rays after the team placed catcher Mike Zunino on the injured list. Give them a break Usually, major league teams cannot wait for a day off to break up the monotony of a 162-game season. But the Dodgers will be in an unusual — and perhaps undesirable — spot over the next two weeks. After finishing their series with the Washington Nationals on Sunday, the team will be off four of the next 10 days. The scheduling quirk will result in the Dodgers adjusting their rotation, Roberts said Friday. How, exactly, has not been decided, he said. We’re working through it and we’ll do what’s best for each individual pitcher and team,” Roberts said. “There might be some rest involved. It’s a long season so you got to protect the pitchers. So if there’s something’s going on, you got to keep ahead of it. Keep them healthy. We’ll assess everything and make a decision.” Ferguson update Caleb Ferguson struck out two and walked one in a scoreless inning in his first rehab appearance for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Friday. The left-hander was placed on the injured list April 28 with a strained oblique. Advertisement jorge.castillo@latimes.com Twitter: @jorgecastillo<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.