Pirates claim outfielder Xavier Paul off waivers from Dodgers - MLB

Pittsburgh is making good use of the No. 1 waiver position, claiming Brandon Wood from the Angels last week and now snagging Xavier Paul off waivers from the Dodgers today.

I’m sure the Pirates will be mocked in some quarters for picking up other teams’ scraps and certainly neither waiver claim is going to be a franchise-defining move, but taking a no-risk flier on a former top prospect like Wood was a sound decision and the Dodgers never gave Paul the opportunity his minor-league production warranted.

Because the Dodgers never committed to him Paul has just 160 career plate appearances at age 26, but he’s also hit .320 with an .882 OPS in 203 games at Triple-A. His power is somewhat limited and playing half his games at Albuquerque in the Pacific Coast League mean those numbers need to be viewed through a very hitter-friendly filter, but at the very least Paul looks capable of being a solid left-handed bench bat or platoon starter with experience in all three outfield spots.

CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.

“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”

Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.

Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.

Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”

“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.

“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”