A Minor League Mascot Just Ran Over a Former World Series Hero and Nobody Got Hurt

Alek Thomas has been through a lot this year. He got traded to the Dodgers organization. He’s trying to claw his way back to the big leagues. And last Saturday, a furry mascot on a scooter absolutely leveled him.

Thomas, the 26-year-old outfielder who helped drag the Diamondbacks to the 2023 World Series, was jogging out of the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets dugout when Sacramento River Cats mascot Dinger came tearing by on a motorized scooter. The collision sent both Thomas and the mascot tumbling to the grass at Sutter Health Park. Video of the moment surfaced Tuesday on the Foul Territory X account and it looks exactly as ridiculous as it sounds.

The good news nobody got seriously hurt. Thomas was in the lineup later that night batting leadoff in an 8-6 loss to Las Vegas. The person inside the Dinger costume got up and waved to the crowd like it was part of the act. It probably wasn’t.

A weird year keeps getting weirder for Thomas

Thomas was the Arizona second-round pick in 2018 and those clutch hits he delivered against the Phillies in the NLCS made him look like a future cornerstone. But his bat never caught up to the moment. His career numbers (.230 average, .273 on-base, .361 slugging) aren’t what you want from a guy who started in center field for a pennant winner. The Diamondbacks traded him to the Dodgers in May and he’s been in Oklahoma City ever since.

The Comets have been a landing spot for him to reset, to try and find the swing that made him look like a major league regular. It’s a good situation for a player who needs reps and a fresh start. What it shouldn’t require is dodging mascots on joyrides.

Minor league baseball leans hard into the gimmicks. That’s the appeal for a lot of fans. But when a guy trying to earn his way back to the majors gets taken out by a costumed character on a scooter, it’s fair to wonder who thought that was a good idea in the middle of a game.

The Dodgers haven’t called Thomas up yet. He’s still working through it. He just has to keep his head up and his eyes open. For the scooter this time, not the fastball.