Dodgers notes: Blake Treinen progressing, Juan Soto, Pablo López

Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen, out since April with shoulder inflammation, proclaimed his shoulder healthy on Monday before the series opener in San Francisco.

Treinen faced hitters at Dodger Stadium on Friday, including Chris Taylor, the first time Treinen faced live hitters since getting shut down earlier in the season. The right-hander said he is scheduled to face live hitters a few more times before progressing to the next step, which could eventually mean a minor league rehab assignment before returning.

“The biggest thing is, we do have a little bit more time,” Treinen told reporters at Oracle Park Monday, as shown by SportsNet LA. To get back, and utilize me like one every three or four days wouldn’t be conducive for the team. We want to get to the point where my stamina is built up to be used like a normal workload.”

He last pitched in a game on April 14, and is currently on the 60-day injured list.

Treinen last season led the Dodgers with 21 games pitched on no days rest, and was second on the team with 15 appearances on one day of rest. This season, no Dodger reliever has pitched on zero days rest more than nine times.

The Dodgers held an $8 million club option on Treinen for 2023, but signed him to a new one-year, $8 million contract for next season in May, with an option for 2024.

News & notes

• Marlins starting pitcher Pablo López is a likely trade target for the Dodgers, particularly of they don’t land Juan Soto, reports Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. Just last week, López was one of the starters profiled by our Estevão Maximo as potential Dodgers additions.
• Soto and López also headline Fabian Ardaya’s trade deadline overview at The Athletic, and also mentioned the Dodgers’ interest in the Cubs’ Ian Happ and Joey Gallo of the Yankees.
• The Dodgers have the resources and the patience to trade for Soto, who won’t be a free agent until after 2024, writes Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register.
• Jake Seiner at the Associated Press offered a broad overview of the trade deadline for many relevant players and teams, in case you want to bone up before today’s 3 p.m. deadline.
• The Dodgers announced before Monday’s deadline that they signed 18 of their 19 draft picks. The only unsigned pick was Carter McCulley, the 20th-round high school shortstop out of Pensacola. Among the reported signing bonuses, three picks after the 10th round received a bonus of more than $125,000 — 11th-round OF Kyle Nevin ($397,500), 13th-round OF Chris Newell ($147,500), and 18th-round high school shortstop Cameron Decker ($187,500).
• The Giants farm system hasn’t kept up with the Dodgers in producing MLB talent or trade chips, writes Evan Webeck at the San Jose Mercury News.