LOS ANGELES -- Call it the A.J. Ellis ripple effect.
The trade of the Los Angeles Dodgers' team- and fan-favorite catcher set off a number of moves Thursday.
With Ellis headed to Philadelphia and new catcher Carlos Ruiz not expected to arrive until Friday, the Dodgers had to find a backup plan. With Austin Barnes dealing with a sore hand, Shawn Zarraga was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
A 44th-round draft pick in 2007, the 27-year-old Zarraga has played nine seasons in the minor leagues and will get to put on a major league uniform for the first time despite batting just .194 in 16 games at Oklahoma City with a .222 slugging percentage. Overall at both Triple-A and Double-A this season, Zarraga is batting .265 with a .327 slugging percentage.
The waves moved further outward: To get Zarraga on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers ended up putting Scott Van Slyke on the 60-day disabled list. Van Slyke, who has been out with a right wrist injury, will now be out for the remainder of the regular season since he went on the DL on Aug. 9.
And to get Zarraga on the active roster, left-handed reliever Luis Avilan was sent back to Oklahoma City.
In a move that had nothing to do with the Ellis trade, infielder/outfielder Rob Segedin was reinstated from the paternity list. He missed one game after the birth of his son late Tuesday night.
