Amed Rosario: Everything You Need to Know About the Dodgers’ Newest Shortstop

On Wednesday, the Dodgers traded Noah Syndergaard and cash to the Cleveland Guardians for shortstop Amed Rosario. The Dominican Republic native debuted in 2017 with the New York Mets and was traded to the Guardians ahead of the 2021 season.

It’s not a move many fans saw coming but it certainly has value for the Dodger roster.

Gavin Lux injured his knee early during spring training and will (likely) miss the entire 2023 season. When Lux went down, the assumption was that the Dodgers would search for a shortstop via trade or free agency. Prior to Lux’s injury, the club had brought in veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas. He took over the role as the starter at the position, and is a great fielding shortstop, but doesn’t contribute to the offense frequently.

At 34, he needs periodic rest. The Dodgers originally envisioned using Rojas as a utility infielder when they acquired him from the Miami Marlins. With the additions of Rosario and Kiké Hernández, Rojas may be able to slide back into that role for the final few months of the regular season.

This season Rojas has a .221 batting average with no home runs and 11 RBI. He is an offensive liability when the Dodgers face left-handed starters when Dave Roberts sits both Jason Heyward and David Peralta.

Rosario, 27, is entering his prime but is in the middle of a down season on both sides of the ball. However, he’s hitting .303 against left-handed pitching and has hit lefties well over the course of his career.

In 88 games this season, Rosario committed 11 errors, so Roberts probably will use Rojas as a late-inning defensive replacement when the Dodgers are ahead. Rosario doesn’t have a good OPS since he doesn’t have either much power or patience at the plate. But he can contribute down near the bottom of the lineup and keep the line moving against left-handed pitching.

The wild card here is what the Dodgers coaching staff can do to help improve Rosario’s game. In the past, the team has helped players on offense and on defense with positioning cues and with mechanics on throwing the baseball more consistently across the diamond.

Rosario is a low risk, nice reward addition to the Dodger roster. And the front office likely isn’t done adding quite yet.

Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports