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Dodgers notes: James Outman, Clayton Kershaw, Nick Frasso

St. Louis Cardinals v Los Angeles Dodgers Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images

The Dodgers on Monday activated Miguel Rojas from the injured list, and Trea Turner’s return to Los Angeles gave us time to reflect on the club’s current shortstop situation.

Here are a few other stories you might enjoy on a Tuesday morning.

In an April compendium at MLB.com, Juan Toribio called James Outman a legitimate National League Rookie of the Year candidate, writing, “the 25-year-old rookie has been one of the most consistent hitters in an otherwise inconsistent Dodgers lineup.”

At her Hanging Sliders newsletter, Wendy Thurm wrote an ode to Clayton Kershaw as a longtime Giants nemesis.

Nick Frasso has allowed three runs in 22 innings for Double-A Tulsa, with 30 strikeouts and five walks, thanks in part to refining his secondary pitches. As general manager Brandon Gomes told Bill Plunkett for Baseball America, “He’s been super fastball-heavy ... and that speaks to how good his fastball quality is. But the odds of that continuing to hold as he gets to the big leagues is probably not all that likely ... Now, as he’s starting to mix in these secondary pitches with some frequency, it feels real.”

In the Monday morning 10-pack of prospects at Baseball Prospectus, Landon Knack got a mention after striking out 11 in five innings on Saturday for Double-A Tulsa. “We’re suddenly looking at a guy who could throw some useful innings for the Dodgers fairly soon, even if it isn’t as a starter,” wrote Smith Brickner. “Knack’s fastball velocity is the wild card here, and will be essential to monitor as the season moves along.”

R.J. Anderson at CBS Sports wrote about the growing interest in potential unionization of MLB front-office employees, with long hours, low pay, and limited mobility common in the industry. “We’re not protected at all,” one front-office worker told Anderson.

Following up on Bill Shaikin’s column from Sunday on the proposed Dodger Stadium gondola, Ryan Fonseca at the Los Angeles Times provides a summary of the project plus potential future plans, and also notes that in the Dodger Stadium express, fans “don’t have to wait for an efficient and free alternative to driving their car to the game — one has existed for more than a decade.”