Well, it’s official – Jerry Sands has been called up and will play his first game for the Dodgers tonight (April 18th). Sands will initially start in left field but has said he is comfortable at first base also and saw a fair amount of time at that position during spring Training.
Sands is batting .400 (10-for-40) with five home runs and 17 RBIs with an OPS of 1.297 in his 10 games thus far in Albuquerque. While many expected Sands to hone his play in the minors until later in the season, the Dodgers clearly saw a need to try and spark the offense beyond Matt Kemp’s strong performance this season.
From Dodgers.com:
Dodgers management wanted Sands to remain in the Minor Leagues at least until midseason, but his hot bat, coupled with the Major League club’s inconsistent offense, forced the move.
Sands will be sporting number 47 and is slated to bat 7th tonight against Atlanta.