The Dodgers’ 26-man roster faced a familiar crisis on Monday when Mookie Betts was scheduled to rejoin the team in Milwaukee for the series opener against the Brewers.
The resulting loss of squad was a surprise.
Amed Rosario, whom the Dodgers acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays on July 29 in exchange for minor league pitcher Michael Flynn, was designated for transfer.
Rosario, 28, has made a comeback at the plate this season. In 81 games with the Dodgers and Rays, he has a .305 batting average with a .331 on-base percentage and a .415 slugging percentage. His OPS+ of 113 would be his highest over a full season in a career that began in 2017, and his OPS of .746 would be his highest since 2019.
Rosario is the kind of versatile outfielder that the front office, led by President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, loves. He has played second base, third base and shortstop this season, positions that are theoretically in need as Betts moves back to right field for the rest of the season.
The Dodgers haven’t had many options, though. Kiké Hernandez has been swinging an even better bat lately (.278/.342/.444 slash line since the All-Star break) and offers even more positional versatility.
Kevin Kiermaier (1-for-16 in six games) hasn’t been in great form since being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for long reliever Ryan Yarbrough. But he may be the only above-average center fielder on the roster, and the Dodgers weren’t willing to part with him — at least not with Tommy Edman still on the injured list.
Manager Dave Roberts said Edman would be the team’s center fielder upon his return.
Assuming the rest of the Dodgers’ outfielders are healthy, two players would be at risk: Rosario and shortstop Nick Ahmed.
Ahmed, 34, is a two-time Gold Glove Award-winning shortstop and has appeared in 14 of the Dodgers’ 16 games, including 12 as a starter, since being signed as a free agent on July 24. Ahmed’s signing cost the Dodgers virtually nothing – he was slated for transfer and was released by the San Francisco Giants two weeks earlier.
Ahmed isn’t particularly good with the bat; he’s hit just .268/.286/.341 since being signed. His strikeout rate (28.6 percent) and walk rate (2.4 percent) suggest his batting discipline isn’t as strong as Rosario’s, and his .357 batting average on balls in play suggests his batting average may be a little inflated by luck at batting.
Today’s transaction suggests the Dodgers value Ahmed’s defense as a shortstop more than Rosario’s versatility. For now, at least, his spot on the roster is secure.
However, the Dodgers are expected to activate Edman and Max Muncy this week. Don’t be surprised if Ahmed (and Kiermaier) are on the hit list.
Photo credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
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