Dodgers call up familiar face to help slumping offense as MLB rosters expand

With MLB’s September roster expansion going into effect on Tuesday, the Dodgers are adding a familiar face amid their recent offensive struggles.Switch-hitting infielder Alex Freeland is set to rejoin the team, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed, giving the 25-year-old former top prospect another chance to prove himself at the big-league level.The promotion, which was first reported by The Athletic, will mark Freeland’s third different stint in the majors this year.In 72 games earlier this season, he hit .231 with three home runs, 19 RBIs and a .622 OPS.The move also comes at a perilous time for the Dodgers lineup, which ranked fifth-worst in MLB in scoring and 10th-worst in OPS during a 13-14 slump in the month of August.The club’s biggest current need is in the outfield, where Andy Pages is out with a broken hand in center and Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández have suffered slumps in the corner spots.Those problems had raised the possibility that Tuesday’s expanded roster spot could go to one of the Dodgers’ many highly-touted outfield prospects, with triple-A slugger James Tibbs III believed to be under the most serious consideration.However, Tibbs isn’t currently on the team’s crowded 40-man roster, which will get even tighter on Tuesday with Will Smith coming off the 60-day injured list. And while he could still be an option to come up later this month –– he currently ranks second in the Pacific Coast League this year in home runs (27), RBIs (96) and OPS (.965) –– the team went with the logistically simpler move of calling up Freeland in hopes he can help check several important boxes.First and foremost, Freeland will give the Dodgers another left-handed-hitting option off the bench, something they’ve been short on during their recent scuffles.Perhaps more importantly, his presence could also allow utilityman Tommy Edman (who has primarily played second base this year) to shift to the outfield more often.

Edman can hel...