The Los Angeles Dodgers designated Ryan Ward for assignment on Wednesday to make room for Kris Bubic on the 40-man roster.
Bubic was acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in August, but was on the 60-day injured list with an elbow injury. He was an All-Star starting pitcher last year, but had a 4.11 ERA in nine starts this year. He could factor into the bullpen the rest of the way.
Ward is the Dodgers' No. 20 prospect and made his debut this season. In 20 games in the big leagues this year, he had a .738 OPS and three home runs. He was not a star for the Dodgers, but he was the Pacific Coast League MVP last season.
Last season, he had a .290/.380/.557 slash line for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He led all minor leaguers with 36 home runs, 122 RBIs, 73 extra-base hits and 315 bases. He led the Pacific Coast League. He ranked second in runs and third in both slugging and OPS. He ranked fourth in hits.
Ward's numbers were nowhere near as good in Triple-A this year. The Dodgers decided it was time to move on from him. They likely value what Bubic brings to the table more for the rest of the season. Bubic will be a free agent after the season, so the Dodgers needed to find some way to get him on the roster. Moving on from Ward was just the move that made the most sense.
