Grandal returns, but Ellis could play more down stretch

By Jon Weisman

Yasmani Grandal is back in the starting lineup for the first time since Saturday, but as Pedro Moura of the Register wrote, Grandal’s left shoulder isn’t 100 percent.

With A.J. Ellis three months into a hot streak off the bench, Grandal himself indicated that Ellis might play more than the typical one or two games per week as the season heads into September.

“A.J.’s doing a great job behind home plate,” Grandal told Moura. “Why not give him a shot at playing more games in a row, getting him a little more comfortable back there on back-to-back days? You never know what can happen.”

No one’s looking to put Grandal out to pasture, especially if he can heal up. According to Fangraphs, the 26-year-old is No. 4 among Major League catchers in wins above replacement and is tops among everyday catchers in offense. He has a .383 on-base percentage and .471 slugging percentage, despite going 3 for his last 30 (with five walks).

But after two seasons of injury-plagued decline, Ellis has been reborn at age 34. His .736 OPS in 2015 is his best since 2012, and from May 26 through August 26, he has a .435 OBP while slugging .521, including a homer, single and walk in Wednesday’s 7-4 win over the Reds.

“I don’t know if it was just health, or bad swing mechanics,” Ellis said in explaining his surge to Moura. “I was hitting a lot of ground balls to the left side of the infield on pitches I should have traditionally stayed up the middle on or hit the other way. I worked hard on staying up the middle.”

Given their side-by-side success, we should see the Dodgers be able to take advantage of Grandal and Ellis not only down the stretch but if they reach the playoffs, especially given how often in their friendly partnership Grandal has caught Zack Greinke while Ellis has caught Clayton Kershaw.

It doesn’t hurt that in his postseason career, Ellis is hitting .386/.481/.682 for a 1.163 OPS in 53 plate appearances (yes, small sample size warning). He has a 10-game hitting streak in the playoffs and has a hit in all but one of his 14 career playoff games.