2017 Dodgers In Review: RP Luis Avilán

What Happened In 2017: Pitched well, but was supplanted by a pair of lefty trade deadline acquisitions.

——

Left-handed pitcher Luis Avilán figured to be a big part of the Dodger bullpen coming into this season, and for quite a while, he was. Of the lefty relief options available to the Dodgers at the start of 2017, Avilán proved to be the most reliable, putting up decent numbers for the bulk of the year.

Avilán was healthy for most of the season, although he missed a bit of playing time in late May and early June as he dealt with left triceps soreness. (He also missed a few days in August for the birth of his son.) June was also Avilán’s worst month, as he allowed four runs in just 6.1 innings pitched. For the remainder of the year, Avilán allowed just seven runs (six earned) in 24.2 IP.

At the trade deadline, the Dodgers acquired Tony Cingrani from the Reds and Tony Watson from the Pirates. This meant some uncertainty for Avilán’s future, as the Dodgers were suddenly flush with left-handed relief options. Spots that might normally have gone to Avilán now would sometimes go to the Dodgers’ newer pickups.

When the time came for the postseason, Avilán missed the National League Division Series due to shoulder inflammation. Although he was healthy enough when the Championship Series started, there wasn’t room on the roster for him, due to Corey Seager‘s injury. With Watson, Cingrani and the rest of the Dodger bullpen doing a good enough job holding down the fort, Avilán did not make the World Series roster.

——

2018 Status: Traded to the White Sox.