Edwin Ríos’ rehab assignment ends, but he’ll stay in Triple-A Oklahoma City, for now

The Dodgers ended the rehab assignment for Edwin Ríos by activating him on Wednesday, but the slugger will remain in Triple-A Oklahoma City for a bit, as he was optioned to the minors.

Ríos comes off the 60-day injured list and takes the open spot on the 40-man roster created Monday when catcher Tony Wolters was designated for assignment.

Ríos has been on the injured list on since June 3, suffering a right hamstring strain that sidelined him for 64 games. When he was placed on the IL, he was second on the team with seven home runs despite limited playing time, hitting .244/.293/.500 with a 119 wRC+ in 27 games.

He played 14 games with Oklahoma City on his rehab assignment, hitting .302/.387/.453 with five doubles and a home run. Ríos started nine games at third base and five games at designated hitter.

Tuesday was the 20th day of the rehab assignment for Ríos, the maximum allowed for position players per major league rules.

Since Ríos landed on the injured list, roster limits changed from 14 to 13 pitchers, opening up another bench spot for a position player. But the Dodgers have also acquired Trayce Thompson and Joey Gallo, and at the moment every other regular is healthy, giving the team their deepest position-player group in the last two seasons. Ríos is simply the odd man out, for now.

On September 1, active rosters expand from 26 to 28 players, including up to 14 pitchers. That leaves room for one more spot on the bench, meaning Ríos’ extended stay in the minors could be only a few more weeks.