While the Los Angeles Dodgers have won three National League West titles in a row, a division rival has thwarted the team’s postseason plans for two years running. Now, a previous member of Dodger Nation is joining one of those rivals.
Infielder Kolten Wong is back in baseball, having signed a minor-league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The organization immediately assigned him to Triple-A Reno.
Wong played 20 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers near the close of the 2023 campaign. The 11-year veteran came to Chavez Ravine at the start of September after he was designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners. He hit .300 in 20 games for the NL West champs and made the postseason roster.
Los Angeles Dodgers a Stop on Wong’s MLB Journey
Wong’s heyday came with the St. Louis Cardinals. He debuted with the Redbirds in 2013 at the age of 22. The next season, he finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .249 with 12 home runs and flashing some tremendous defense at second base.
The native of Hilo, Hawaii had his best MLB season in 2019. That year, he won the first of two Gold Glove awards at second base while finishing 20th in the NL Most Valuable Player balloting. It was Wong’s offensive high-water mark as well, as he hit .285 with 11 homers, 59 RBI and 24 stolen bases.
Wong won his second Gold Glove in the COVID-shortened 2020 seasons, but the Cardinals declined his team option. As a free agent, Wong signed a two-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. He hit .262 over 250 games with the Brewers in 2021 and 2022 before he was traded to the Mariners prior to the 2023 season.
Wong struggled mightily in Seattle, hitting just .165 before he was released by the organization on August 3. Two weeks later, the Los Angeles Dodgers came calling. He hit a three-run homer in his Dodger Stadium debut on Sept. 1, the only runs the team logged in a 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
Could Wong Come Back to Haunt the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Wong was invited to spring training with the Baltimore Orioles, but did not make the team. Now that he is with the Diamondbacks organization, could he come back to haunt his former team this season?
Arizona ended the Los Angeles Dodgers season short of the World Series in 2023, as the fellow division rival San Diego Padres did in 2022. Could history play a repeat in 2024, with Wong playing for the Diamondbacks this time? We shall wait and see.
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Tom Carothers is a sportswriter with more than 20 years of experience covering sports at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Still longing for the return of his Minnesota North Stars, he has a high pain tolerance as a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Browns, and Tottenham Hotspur.
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