AJ Pollock's Hot Start to 2nd Half Adds Another Devastating Bat to Loaded Dodgers Lineup

As if they needed more help, the Los Angeles Dodgers' big free agent signing, AJ Pollock, returned with a vengeance after spending a couple months on the shelf. He landed on the injured list in late April with an elbow injury, but it did not seem to stop the Dodgers from playing great baseball.

The Dodgers went 41-22 after Pollock was injured, and seem to have only gotten better now. In their three-game series win against the Boston Red Sox, he went 6-for-14 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs.

AJ Pollock is now 4-for-9 with two homers since his return. His OPS when he returned was .617. It's now .697.
— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) July 14, 2019

Pollock comes back to join a deep outfield corps of Joc Pederson, Alex Verdugo, MVP candidate Cody Bellinger, as well as Kiké Hernandez. The trio of Pederson, Verdugo and Bellinger have combined to hit .297/.378/.575 with 61 homers and 156 RBI on the year.

This is not to say Pollock is not needed, but to emphasize that he does not have to play everyday. Ever since his 2015 season, where he was an All-Star, top-15 MVP candidate and Gold Glove winner, he has struggled to stay on the field for more than 113 games per campaign.

In 2015 #Dodgers AJ Pollock was 14th in #NL MVP voting, 7th in WAR (7.2) with 111 runs, 20 HR, 39 SB. He played 157G for Dbacks. High of 113G past 4 seasons. He’s good when he’s healthy.
— Lyle Spencer (@LyleMSpencer) July 15, 2019

When healthy, Pollock is a quality player and will only add to this fearsome Dodger offense. Dave Roberts' defense will also improve, as Cody Bellinger, who is a good defender no matter where you put him, can play first base whenever the Dodgers want all four outfielders out there at once.

Rich Hill and Tony Cingrani are the only two major injuries the Dodgers are dealing with now; Cingrani is done for the year, while Hill is aiming to come back in September. Barring any new injuries, the Dodgers have all the pieces in place to finally win a World Series for the first time since 1988.