When the Dodgers acquired outfielder Trayce Thompson from the Tigers in late June, his role was pretty clear: help hold down the fort while Mookie Betts was on the injured list with a fractured rib.
Trayce must not have gotten the memo, because he hasn’t been playing like a fort-holder-downer in his two months back in Los Angeles. In 146 plate appearances, Thompson is hitting .297/.384/.563 for a .946 OPS that is 58 percent better than league average.
It’s not empty numbers, either, as Thompson has repeatedly come through in big situations. Nearly half his RBIs have come in the seventh inning or later.