Kevin Pillar fractures his left shoulder, placed on injured list by Dodgers

Dodgers outfielder Kevin Pillar finally got to play for his hometown team, but after four games he’s going to be out a long while. Testing revealed a fracture in Pillar’s left shoulder, and he was placed on the injured list on Thursday.

Pillar doubled in the fifth inning of Wednesday night’s game against the Pirates, then injured his shoulder in a slide at third base. He stayed in the game and scored, but was removed before the top of the sixth inning. After Wednesday’s game, manager Dave Roberts told reporters Pillar’s shoulder popped in and out of his socket twice during the game.

The timetable for Pillar’s return is yet to be determined, with a key determinant in what comes next is Pillar weighing whether to have surgery on the shoulder.

Pillar signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers in March, and spent nearly two months in Triple-A before getting the call to the majors. The 33-year-old hit .315/.412/.622 with a 153 wRC+, nine home runs and 18 extra-base hits in 36 games for Oklahoma City.

When he was called up to the Dodgers on Saturday, Pillar tweeted, “I’ve dreamed of this moment since I was a little kid driving down the 101 to Dodger Stadium.”

Pillar started four games for the Dodgers, three in left field and once in center field, going 1-for-12 with a walk and four strikeouts.

With Pillar on the shelf, the Dodgers recalled Zach McKinstry from Triple-A Oklahoma City for what is technically his fourth stint in the majors this season, though one of those was a one-day reprieve when he was optioned on April 24, only to be recalled before the game that day when David Price was placed on the COVID-related injured list.

McKinstry with Oklahoma City this season is hitting .338/.424/.464, a 131 wRC+ with five doubles, four triples, and two home runs in 38 games. He’s played mostly shortstop in Triple-A, starting 28 games at the position, along with three starts at second base, three starts in left field, and two in right field.

In two games in the majors this year, both as a reserve, McKinstry lined out to right field in his only at-bat.