A winding baseball journey will come full circle today, as the Dodgers will give Andrew Toles his first taste of the major leagues.
According to multiple sources, the 24-year-old outfielder will be recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to tonight’s game against the San Diego Padres. Toles began the season at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, was promoted to Double-A Tulsa in May, and played another eight games at Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to his promotion. Toles’ combined slash line across the three levels: .330/.375/.507, with 23 stolen bases in 32 attempts.
Update (4:00 p.m.): Toles was selected to the 40-man roster and is starting in center field and batting eighth tonight. Carlos Frias was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City and Triple-A infielder Cole Figueroa was designated for assignment.
Out of baseball entirely a year ago, Toles spent time working at a Kroger’s grocery store in Atlanta after the Rays released him in spring training. He signed a minor league free agent contract with the Dodgers on Sept. 23, 2015.
Toles was a third-round draft pick by the Rays in 2012 (under current Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman) and was named the organization’s prospect of the year in 2013.
Toles ultimately wore out his welcome in the Rays’ organization with poor play; he posted a .302 on-base percentage at the Single-A level in 2014, his last full year in the Rays’ organization.
Among other bumps in his career path, Toles was reportedly dismissed from the University of Tennessee in 2012, then suspended by Chipola College, a two-year junior college in Florida.
The corresponding roster move to make room for Toles is unknown, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he anticipated sending out a pitcher after the Dodgers played with a three-man bench Thursday night against the Padres.
Toles will become the second player who began the season at Rancho Cucamonga to crack the Dodgers’ roster in the first half of the season. Pitcher Brock Stewart made his major league debut June 29 in Milwaukee less than three months after his final Single-A game.
