Brock Stewart will undergo Tommy John surgery

For Brock Stewart, who signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers in December, his 2021 season is over, thanks to Tommy John surgery schedule for next week.

Player of the day

Jeren Kendall’s first three games in Double-A have gone swimmingly, including a home run in Tulsa’s offensive explosion on Friday night. He hit a three-run home run as part of a six-run first inning, and later added an RBI single.

Through three games this season, Kendall is 4-for-8 with a home run, triple, and four walks. The Dodgers’ first-round pick in 2017 has struggled offensively in his first three seasons, hitting .223/.309/.413 with a 32.3-percent strikeout rate in 1,083 plate appearances entering 2021. Having more walks (four) than strikeouts (three) in the early going is at least a step in the right direction for the 25-year-old Kendall.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

It was a rough night for starting pitcher Yefry Ramírez, who allowed a career-high eight runs in his four innings in OKC’s blowout loss to the Round Rock Express (Rangers). Ramírez, a 27-year-old right-hander signed by the Dodgers in March, surrendered three home runs in this one.

Ramírez one of several veterans on Oklahoma City’s pitching staff, though a combination of injuries and two Dodgers’ pitchers on the 40-man roster in Double-A, the Triple-A staff at the moment has a number of youngsters filling spots. They got work on Friday, with Jordan Martinson, Cyrillo Watson, and Edward Cuello all pitching above rookie level for the first time. Cuello, a 22-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic, struck out three in two innings.

Omar Estévez and Luke Raley each hit their first home runs of the season in the loss.

In case you missed it Friday, here’s a feature on Jamey Wright, the longtime major league pitcher who is now the pitching coach in Triple-A.

Double-A Tulsa

Kendall wasn’t the only Driller to have a huge game in Tulsa’s blowout of the Amarillo Sod Poodles (D-backs). First baseman Devin Mann also drove in four runs with three hits, including a double, scoring twice with a walk.

Michael Busch singled twice, walked, and scored three runs. Gus Varland, acquired from Oakland in the four-player Adam Kolarek trade in February, struck out four in two perfect innings in his debut in the Dodgers organization.

In the bottom of the third inning, the game was delayed for 14 minutes by a drone. That was just about the only thing that slowed down Tulsa on Friday.

High-A Great Lakes

Clayton Beeter made his professional debut, and the Dodgers second-round pick from 2020 struck out two in a scoreless inning. But after his day was done, the Loons fell behind 6-0 on the way to a third loss in four games to the Dayton Dragons (Reds).

Center fielder Andy Pages had two hits, snapping an 0-for-11 skid to start his season, and hit one of five doubles for Great Lakes on the night. Pages walked, scored twice, and drove in two.

Low-A Rancho Cucamonga

The scheduled game between the Quakes and Inland Empire 66ers (Angels) was postponed for COVID-19-related reasons with the 66ers.

Transactions

Triple-A: On Thursday, Oklahoma City put a pair of pitchers on the injured list. One was Stewart, on the 60-day IL, and the other was Brandon Morrow on the seven-day list, though it’s unclear if or when he might join the Dodgers. But Friday brought at least some good news, as Morrow threw at Camelback Ranch, which he shared on Instagram:

From Brandon Morrow on Instagram

High-A: The Loons placed left-hander Juan Morillo — who struck out four of his seven batters faced but left his start after just 1⅔ innings on Thursday night — on the injured list, and added pitchers Zack Plunkett and Kevin Malisheski from Camelback Ranch.

Friday scores

• Round Rock 15, Oklahoma City 6
• Tulsa 12, Amarillo 3
• Dayton 9, Great Lakes 5
• Rancho Cucamonga at Inland Empire, ppd.

Saturday schedule

• 3:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Logan Boyer) vs. Dayton (Ricky Salinas)
• 5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Mike Kickham) at Round Rock (Joe Palumbo)
• 5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Ryan Pepiot) vs. Amarillo (Jeff Bain)

It’s unclear if Rancho Cucamonga’s 7:05 p.m. game at Inland Empire will be played or not.