Dodgers activate Garrett Cleavinger, trade Dennis Santana to Rangers

Although Thursday is a day off for the Dodgers, that didn’t stop them from making a number of roster moves.

The club activated Garrett Cleavinger from the IL and sent outfielder Luke Raley to AAA. In addition, the Dodgers also traded Dennis Santana to the Rangers for minor-league pitcher Kelvin Bautista.

Cleavinger was placed on the Injured List on May 18 with left elbow inflammation. He was sent to Oklahoma City 10 days ago to log a few innings in the minors. Cleavinger now adds another left-handed option out of the bullpen, joining Victor Gonzalez and David Price.

Prior to his injury, Cleavinger appeared in eight games with LA. He posted a 4.50 ERA and 6.49 FIP. In six innings, the lefty struck out nine and walked four.

Raley gets sent back down to AAA where he’s been absolutely raking. In 19 games for OKC he’s hitting .329 with an OPS above 1.100 to go along with six home runs and 29 RBI. Unfortunately, he just can’t seem to figure it out at the plate with LA. In 27 games with the big-league club he’s hitting .180 with an OPS of .528.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers found a trade partner for Santana. He was designated for assignment last week. Instead of him ending up back in Oklahoma City, the Dodgers were able to get a piece for him, as the Rangers claimed the right-hander off of waivers.

The Dodgers acquired 21-year-old left-handed pitcher Kelvin Bautista. The highest level he’s pitched at is the Arizona Summer League and Dominican Summer League. He last pitched in 2019, where he posted a 2.48 ERA in 14 games. Bautista struck out 46 in 29 innings.