Trayce Thompson

Thompson got his first at-bats of the year Saturday, and he made the most of them.

Cron](/mlb/players/1894603/c-j-cron/), [Boston Red Sox](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/BOS/boston-red-sox/) outfielder [Adam Duvall](/mlb/players/2042091/adam-duvall/), [Atlanta Braves](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/ATL/atlanta-braves/) first baseman [Matt Olson](/mlb/players/2044509/matt-olson/) and [Texas Rangers](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/TEX/texas-rangers/) DH [Mitch Garver](/mlb/players/2164748/mitch-garver/). He then slugged a three-run shot against [Kevin Ginkel](/mlb/players/3085906/kevin-ginkel/) in the fifth inning and a solo homer against [Carlos Vargas](/mlb/players/3090769/carlos-vargas/) in the eighth inning. [Madison Bumgarner](/mlb/players/1619074/madison-bumgarner/). [Colorado Rockies](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/COL/colorado-rockies/) first baseman [C.J. He went 3 for 4 with eight RBI in a win over the [Arizona Diamondbacks](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/ARI/arizona-diamondbacks/) ( [LAD 10, ARI 1](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/gametracker/boxscore/MLB_20230401_ARI@LAD/)). It was far and away his most successful [MLB](/mlb/) stint.

LOS ANGELES — Trayce Thompson served up bangers and mashed Saturday. Thompson – who spent part of his spring playing for Great Britain in the World Baseball ...

His third homer of the game, a solo shot, came in the eighth inning off another right-handed reliever – rookie Carlos Vargas – and traveled 440 feet. “I have a lot of respect for Bum,” Kershaw said. Thompson’s early blasts took the steam out of a throwback matchup between Bumgarner and Kershaw. The lone run came on a solo home run by Christian Walker. He joined Gil Hodges who did it in 1950 (four home runs and nine RBIs against the Boston Braves) and Adrian Gonzalez who did it in 2016 (three home runs and eight RBIs against the Cincinnati Reds). Miguel Vargas drew a two-out walk (his MLB-leading seventh walk in three games) and brought up Thompson. But I haven’t had a ton of success against him so just try to keep it simple, try not to overthink it, try not to do too much. “That doesn’t happen a lot so that was pretty cool,” Thompson said after the game, still reluctant to revel in his moment. Mookie Betts nearly cleared the left field wall but settled for a double after it was determined a fan had interfered with his drive. Thompson said this spring that his difficulties with lefties last year were mainly about struggling to catch up to fastballs. Thompson became the third player in franchise history to hit three or more home runs and drive in eight or more runs in the same game. Thompson was just 3 for 35 (.086) against pitching of any kind in Cactus League games this spring.

Thompson hit 1263 feet of home runs, a three-homer night in which he drove in a career-high eight runs in a 10-1 win over Arizona.

“(It’s) not easy to sit on the bench, face lefties, first at-bat of the season, bases loaded,” Kershaw said. Forced into a limited role, back onto the fringes of the roster, Thompson’s response was resounding in the form of 1,266 feet of home runs, a three-homer night in which he drove in a career-high eight runs in a 10-1 win over [Arizona](https://theathletic.com/mlb/team/diamondbacks/). [Dodgers](https://theathletic.com/mlb/team/dodgers/) he demonstrated the kind of force and thump he always felt was there. [Tigers](https://theathletic.com/mlb/team/tigers/) system for cash considerations, giving him an opportunity to fill into their outfield picture after being stuck in Triple-A Toledo for much of the summer. But there was nothing quiet about the mammoth swing he unleashed in his first cut when Thompson drove a middle-middle changeup from left-hander Thompson’s only real path to playing time comes through his ability to hit lefties, to make the outfield platoon’s production hum through the sum of its parts. I know I can do it though … I know I can have nights like this. The club’s outfield has plenty of capable hitters against right-handed pitching, with [David Peralta](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/david-peralta-41KmUJVHoOYCvgSP/), [James Outman](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/james-outman-nvlsYo1kHOxQK6CS/) and [Jason Heyward](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/jason-heyward-CsvkcJhisQ4xXfHK/) expected to log the majority of starts against them in left and center field. “So to have it happen tonight is pretty cool.” [Tony Gonsolin](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/tony-gonsolin-He3BJxhxrr7XhD4E/) and [Freddie Freeman](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/freddie-freeman-fJdyR59AnffvvTIg/) badgered the 32-year-old to soak in the moment he’d only dreamed of.

Trayce Thompson established career highs of three homers and eight RBIs to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a crushing 10-1 victory over the visiting Arizona ...

Civale (1-0), a right-hander, allowed two hits, walked one and struck out three. Gray (1-0) allowed three hits, struck out one and walked four in the second game of the three-game series. He also allowed two hits and two runs. The Tigers' Kerry Carpenter was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs. He struck out two and walked two. Nationals starter Josiah Gray (0-1) allowed five runs on seven hits -- including three home runs -- in five innings. Flaherty (1-0) walked seven batters and hit another but did not allow a hit in five shutout innings. Thompson hit a grand slam in the first inning, a three-run shot in the fifth and a solo shot in the eighth. Sandoval (1-0) eased through his five innings, limiting the A's to two hits and one run. Madison Bumgarner (0-1) gave up five runs and four hits in four innings. He finished with five RBIs, three runs and was a single shy of the cycle. Ryan Mountcastle and Cedric Mullins also homered, and Felix Bautista (0-1) took the loss.

Trayce Thompson is a platoon player who's played for nine MLB organizations, including the Dodgers twice. It all made Saturday's three-homer night that much ...

Astros, Braves among top candidates](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/which-team-has-mlbs-best-lineup-astros-braves-among-top-candidates) [MLB 26-and-under power rankings: Which teams have the best young players?](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/mlb-26-and-under-power-rankings-which-clubs-have-the-best-young-players) [2023 MLB odds: Best win total, division bets, long-shot, title futures, expert picks](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/mlb-odds-best-win-total-division-bets-title-futures) He was 1-for-8 in his career against Bumgarner when he stepped to the plate with the bases loaded Saturday against his old lockermate. And so for him to put that swing on the ball to start a year was pretty impressive. He previously was the Dodgers’ editor of digital and print publications. Then, on his first swing of the season, Thompson sent a hanging changeup 406 feet for the second grand slam of his career, giving starter "He understands his role on the team," manager Dave Roberts said. "I’m probably the worst spring training player in here, I would imagine," Thompson said. [World Baseball Classic](https://www.foxsports.com/world-baseball-classic) playing for [Great Britain](https://www.foxsports.com/world-baseball-classic/great-britain-team), he went 3-for-35 at the plate in Cactus League play. [Detroit Tigers](https://www.foxsports.com/mlb/detroit-tigers-team) in exchange for cash considerations, Thompson made stops with eight different franchises. 1, 2017, and his return to the club on June 20, 2022, when he was acquired from the He entered the year in an outfield platoon, slated to play center field against lefties while rookie He had dreamt about curtain calls as a kid, and he remembered seeing them years ago in this same venue during the electric start to Yasiel Puig’s career, but it took him a moment to realize that his accomplishments were equally deserving.

Thompson got his first at-bats of the year Saturday, and he made the most of them.

Cron](/mlb/players/1894603/c-j-cron/), [Boston Red Sox](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/BOS/boston-red-sox/) outfielder [Adam Duvall](/mlb/players/2042091/adam-duvall/), [Atlanta Braves](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/ATL/atlanta-braves/) first baseman [Matt Olson](/mlb/players/2044509/matt-olson/) and [Texas Rangers](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/TEX/texas-rangers/) DH [Mitch Garver](/mlb/players/2164748/mitch-garver/). He then slugged a three-run shot against [Kevin Ginkel](/mlb/players/3085906/kevin-ginkel/) in the fifth inning and a solo homer against [Carlos Vargas](/mlb/players/3090769/carlos-vargas/) in the eighth inning. [Madison Bumgarner](/mlb/players/1619074/madison-bumgarner/). [Colorado Rockies](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/COL/colorado-rockies/) first baseman [C.J. He went 3 for 4 with eight RBI in a win over the [Arizona Diamondbacks](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/ARI/arizona-diamondbacks/) ( [LAD 10, ARI 1](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/gametracker/boxscore/MLB_20230401_ARI@LAD/)). It was far and away his most successful [MLB](/mlb/) stint.

Trayce Thompson's professional baseball history has been about waiting for a turn. It continued last season with the Dodgers in his return to the club when ...

Jackson has appeared in eight Major League games and has three career saves — all three-inning saves and one in each of the last three seasons. Martinez hit his first home run as a Dodger — a solo shot in the seventh inning. He went 2-for-3 in the game with a double. And so for him to put that swing on the ball to start a year is pretty impressive. The Dodger ace, in his first game of 2023, struck out nine batters in six innings, allowing four hits, no walks and one run. Thompson became the eighth Dodger with at least eight RBI in a game. The Dodgers (2–1) will play the Diamondbacks at 1:10 p.m. “I’ve developed a new three-homer rule,” Roberts said. Cron for the lead in homers. “It’s not easy to sit on the bench face lefties — first step out of the season bases loaded, there’s a lot going on right there. And to be back here, it does mean a lot to me. And so it does mean a lot.