Andy Pages has been out with a left-hand fracture and has not played since Aug. 21.
The Dodgers recently revealed that they plan to activate him on the final homestand of the season, which started on Friday. While Pages did not make his return in the opener and is not in the lineup on Saturday, he is making significant progress.
According to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya, Pages was facing velocity off the machine at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. He may still have to face live pitching before the Dodgers activate him, but the fact that he is facing velocity is a good sign.
It's possible that the Dodgers activate him in the San Diego Padres series. The Padres are trying to clinch a spot in the postseason, and the Dodgers are their final opponent before what could be a very important series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Pages was an All-Star this year, slashing .272/.338/.797 with 21 home runs. Kyle Tucker, Teoscar Hernández and Mookie Betts are starting to get hot, and adding Pages back into the mix could make the Dodgers the threat every fan expected them to be in the offseason.
The Dodgers have been one of the best teams in baseball this year, but overall, some of their stars have been disappointing. Tucker has struggled for most of the year, and Betts did not look like himself for much of the season. However, things are starting to click in time for October.