LOS ANGELES >> While 21-year-old phenom Cody Bellinger continued to fulfill his potential as a blue-chip prospect, another Dodger has quietly been making his case to stay in the majors.

Chris Taylor hit his second home run of the season Sunday in his 10th game since being recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Taylor had never hit more than one home run over the past three seasons with the Mariners or Dodgers. He entered Tuesday’s game against the San Francisco Giants with a .321 batting average.

Manager Dave Roberts said any decision on Taylor’s future would wait until Joc Pederson and Logan Forsythe are ready to return from the disabled list. That could come as early as Friday’s game in San Diego.

“Chris has shown very well,” Roberts said. “His makeup, the athleticism, the versatility, the swing change this winter – everything plays.”

The change to Taylor’s swing is conspicuous, both visually and when measured by its results.

At the urging of Dodgers hitting consultants Robert Van Scoyoc and Craig Wallenbrock, Taylor exaggerated the height of his leg kick, roughly from the height of his shoe to the height of his sock. (Taylor typically wears his socks just below his kneecaps.) He’s also loading his hands earlier, giving him more momentum toward the baseball than he had from a still position in the past.

Through Monday, Taylor had improved his average exit velocity from 87.5 mph to 96.0 according to MLB’s Statcast data. The 8.5-mph jump was the most of any returning Dodger.

Taylor said he doesn’t track his exit velocity, but he’s cognizant of the difference.

“Partly I think I’m hitting the ball on the barrel more,” Taylor said. “That’s a big part.”

The changes have also allowed Taylor to catch up with more fastballs, which in turn has improved his contact rate. Combine more contact and harder contact, and Taylor’s surprising statistics have a context.

Taylor, 26, said his swing is still a work in progress.

“I was constantly tinkering with it all offseason and even into spring training,” he said. “If you look at my at-bats from the beginning of spring training, there’s subtle differences. I definitely have gotten more and more comfortable with it. Even now, I’m becoming more comfortable with it.”

Van Slyke down, Gutierrez up

The Dodgers activated outfielder Franklin Gutierrez from the DL and sent veteran backup Scott Van Slyke to Triple-A.

The demotion of Van Slyke allows Bellinger to stick around a little longer – probably until Friday when another left-handed hitting outfielder, Joc Pederson, is expected back from the DL. Bellinger got his first major league start at first base on Tuesday.

Van Slyke had a sluggish April (four hits in 31 at-bats), following two seasons marked by more injuries than production. Valued as a well-liked teammate and a power bat off the bench against left-handed pitching, Van Slyke hasn’t produced in that role since 2014. Over the past two-plus seasons, Van Slyke has hit only .225 with a .656 OPS.

“It gives (Van Slyke) an opportunity also to go down to Triple-A to get some consistent at-bats, play, work through some mechanical things he’s been working through,” Roberts said.

Gutierrez had been on the DL since injuring his hamstring on April 10 at Wrigley Field. He went 3 for 6 with a home run in a two-game rehab assignment with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga.

Roberts: Racial taunts ‘unacceptable’

Roberts said he never was a target of racial epithets as a visiting player in Boston, or during his time as a Red Sox outfielder.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones, who is African-American, wasn’t as fortunate. Jones told USA Today that he had “one of the worst” nights of his career Monday when he heard racial taunts multiple times in the outfield, and had a bag of peanuts thrown at him in the Orioles’ dugout.

“For him to be treated that way by a small group of people, an individual overstepping the lines of friendly competitive banter, is unacceptable,” Roberts said. “Very disappointing. To reflect an entire fan base, let alone a city because of a certain group or an individual being ignorant. … (Red Sox president) Sam Kennedy is a friend of mine. They’ll figure this thing out.

“But I think for Adam, I applaud him for bringing it to light again, because I think that change occurs when things are talked about, brought to the table, brought to light, and I applaud him for that.”

Also

The Dodgers transferred prospect Walker Buehler from Rancho Cucamonga to extended spring training with the intention of sending him to Double-A Tulsa later this week. The right-handed pitcher had eight strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings Monday for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, the latest in a string of outstanding starts to begin the season. In five starts over 16 1/3 innings, Buehler allowed only eight hits, two earned runs and five walks while striking out 27. Buehler was the Dodgers’ first-round draft pick in 2015.