Edwin Ríos expected back Friday after hamstring injury

Edwin Ríos is expected to play for the Dodgers on Friday night against the A’s at Camelback Ranch, which will be his first game in a week after dealing with a hamstring injury.

“He had a little bit of a cramp, a mild hamstring-type thing, and we wanted him to be down for a few days,” Dave Roberts said on Thursday. “But he’s running around, feeling good. He’ll be back in there tomorrow.”

Ríos last played on March 19, and up to that point had played in every other game for the Dodgers this spring, until missing the last five games. Ríos is 4-for-22 with a pair of doubles and two walks in Cactus League playu, hitting .182/.250/.273. He missed 13 games last August on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.

Links

• On a staff that includes three former Cy Young Award winners, Walker Buehler is often mentioned as a future Cy Young Award winner. Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register profiles the Dodgers right-hander with a bright future ahead of him, and a strong present.
• In season previews of sort posted Thursday, both Peter Gammons at The Athletic and Joe Sheehan in his newsletter picked Corey Seager to win National League MVP in 2021. Both also picked the Dodgers to repeat as champions, which would be the first time an MLB World Series winner repeated since the 1998-2000 Yankees.
• Speaking of Seager, Dodgers shortstops are ranked No. 2 in the FanGraphs positional power rankings (behind the Padres and Fernando Tatis Jr.). Cody Bellinger has the Dodgers ranked No. 2 in center field. (behind the Angels and Mike Trout). Dodgers left fielders check in at 15th.
• Bill Shaikin at the Los Angeles Times wrote, “If Georgia persists in pursuing laws that will make it harder to vote, and disproportionately so in Black communities, MLB should move the 2021 All-Star game out of Atlanta.”
• Kenley Jansen and Orel Hershiser are among Dodgers who lent their time for a talent show to benefit the American Lung Association, writes Shaikin at the LA Times.