Welcome to the Blue, Kyle Farmer!

It's funny how one little non-announcement/confirmed call-up can cause minds to reel and rumors to spread. Yesterday afternoon, word quickly spread that 26-year old Kyle Farmer -- a catching prospect at Triple-A Oklahoma City --  would be called up to the Dodgers.

Suddenly, fans and media alike went into a frenzy.

Does this mean a trade is coming? Is Austin Barnes being moved to get one of those oft-spoken about frontline starting pitchers that are supposedly on the market? Heck, folks were ruing the possible loss of outfield prospect Alex Verdugo -- assuming he was being traded since he was not in yesterdays lineup.

Instead, none of these things happened. Kyle Farmer was brought up to Los Angeles to provide more depth on the bench. Dodger reliever Grant Dayton was put on the DL due to neck discomfort.

So, who is Kyle Farmer?

Welcome to the Blue, Luke Farrell!

While we wait for potential trade news involving a top pitcher and some prospects, the Dodgers decided to pull the trigger on a smaller deal that brings us the son of a current major league manager. It has just been announced that the Dodgers have received 26-year old right-handed starting pitcher Luke Farrell from the Kansas City Royals for cold hard cash. How much cash? We can only speculate.

Luke Farrell is the son of Boston Red Sox skipper John Farrell. He attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and was drafted by the Royals in the 6th round in 2013. You can follow Luke on twitter here: @elFarrell52, and on Instagram here: @luke_farrell52.

As for his skills on the diamond, I'll get to that a bit later. What I would rather tell you is that few men his age have gone through the trials and tribulations of life like Luke has. At the age of eighteen a tumor was found in his skull and he had to undergo a harrowing surgery that was life threatening. Per Pete Grathoff at KansasCity.com:

Blog Kiosk: 7/28/2017 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Last night was the fifth annual Kershaw's Ping Pong 4 Purpose charity event at Dodger Stadium and by all accounts it was a blast. Per Rowan Kavner at Dodger Insider:

“You’re not only coming here supporting a teammate for a good cause, but you’re coming to have fun and meet a lot of cool people,” said Kiké Hernández. “It’s a pretty special event.”

As part of the evening, the Kershaw's presented the Kershaw’s Challenge Impact Award to Magic Johns for his work with the Magic Johnson Foundation. The pic above features that presentation, via Magic Johnson on twitter. BTW, the winners of the ping pong tournament were a couple of fellows named Mike Singer and Michael Weisberg. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1991 Montreal Expos hurler Dennis Martinez throws a perfect game against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, 2-0. This is the first no-hitter by an opposing pitcher in Dodger Stadium's history. 
• Happy Birthday, Freddie Fitzsimmons!