Dodgers option Pederson to make room for Granderson

Only five players in MLB history hit more home runs than Joc Pederson in their first 95 games, but the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder is heading back to the minors.

The Dodgers announced on Saturday they will be optioning Pederson to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room for Curtis Granderson on the active roster.

Granderson was acquired from the New York Mets on Friday for a player to be named later and cash considerations.

"[Joc] being optioned to Oklahoma City gives him a chance to reset," manager Dave Roberts said, via ESPN.

"I have no doubt that he'll come back here and help us win a lot of baseball games and get to our ultimate goal.

"But I think where he's at right now with a swing change, trying to get some consistency, in a major league setting, it's really hard to perform without looking at the scoreboard and looking at your average."

Pederson hit 20 home runs with the Dodgers in September of 2014 and the first three months of 2015.

But he is hitting just .215 with 11 home runs and three stolen bases for the Dodgers this season. He has cut down on his strikeouts over the last two years, but while his average went up as a result in 2016, his average has gone down this year while showing less power and less production at the plate.

The 25-year-old center fielder has a career-low on-base percentage of .329 this season and his .215 batting average is the lowest among the Dodgers' everyday starting lineup.