Dodgers' news: Hairston for president, Eovaldi to be recalled, rehab update

Jerry Hairston went 5-for-5 today (his first career 5-hit game) and is more than proving his worth to a team like the Dodgers.

Hairston, a .258/.326/.371 hitter coming into the season, is tearing the proverbial cover off the ball, posting a .381/.458/.524 with more extra base hits (six) than strikeouts (five). To put it lightly, the guy has been a Godsend.

Hairston 2012

He spent a couple weeks on the disabled list, forcing the Dodgers to play Adam Kennedy -- a lot -- at third base. Hairston's presence and his ability to keep Kennedy on the bench should be enough to earn him praise from every Dodger fan. But the fact Hairston is playing as well as he is, well, that's just gravy.

I, surprisingly, was somewhat in favor of this deal.

"The former Brewer, National, Padre, Yankee, Red, Ranger, Cub and Oriole hit .270/.344/.383 last season. He'll be a fine utility player, but did the Dodgers really need him?

Probably not. But it was probably one of the best signings of the off-season, which is saying something for a team in desperate need of offense."

Not only has he mashed at the plate, he's played superb defense -- at both second- and third base. At 35 (36 on Tuesday), the guy might be playing the best ball of his career.

Here's hoping he can keep it up. The Dodgers risk playing him to much and diminishing his value, but he's better than the alternatives (Kennedy, Juan Uribe).

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This just in from Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times:

"Nathan Eovaldi appears headed back to the Dodgers to make at least one start for left-hander Ted Lilly."

Eovaldi made a surprise relief appearance last night (was slated to start) and struck out all three batters in his one inning of work.

We've seen Eovaldi mishandled like this as recently as last month, and I was not happy about it.

"Still, the Dodgers need to be careful in situations like this. While Eovaldi could ultimately end up a reliever, his value remains -- for the moment -- in the starting rotation. It's best not to mess with his flow or routine. If he were some journeyman pitcher, this wouldn't be a big deal. But he's the Dodgers second- or third-best prospect and limiting his innings because someone on the big league roster might be hurt could wind up hurting Eovaldi in the long run."

Eovaldi promptly struggled in his first two starts after that episode:

• May 2: 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• May 8: 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Luckily, the great prospect that Eovaldi is, he figured it out in his previous two starts, allowing just one run in 12 innings of work.

At least it looks like Eovaldi will actually make an appearance this time around, as he was on the 25-man roster for a few days before being sent back to Chattanooga without taking the hill.

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Matt Kemp and Juan Rivera have both homered in their first rehab game with the Albquerque Isotopes. They'll both play one more game there before Kemp is activated Tuesday and Rivera is activated later in the week.

Photo credit: SD Dirk, Flickr