Dodgers Designate Veteran Infielder For Assignment to Make Room for Mookie Betts
The Dodgers’ 26-man roster was facing a known crunch Monday, when Mookie Betts was scheduled to rejoin the team in Milwaukee for its series opener against the Brewers.
The resulting roster casualty was a surprise.
Amed Rosario, whom the Dodgers acquired July 29 from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor league pitcher Michael Flynn, was designated for assignment.
Rosario, 28, has seen a resurgence at the plate this season. In 81 games with the Dodgers and Rays, he’s hitting .305 with a .331 on-base percentage and .415 slugging percentage. His 113 OPS+ would be his highest over a full season in a career that began in 2017, and his .746 OPS would be his highest since 2019.
Rosario is the kind of versatile fielder the front office led by president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman loves. He’s seen time at second base, third base and shortstop this season. In theory, those would be positions of need with Betts heading back to right field for the remainder of this season.
However, the Dodgers didn’t have many choices. Kiké Hernandez has been swinging an even hotter bat of late (.278/.342/.444 slash line since the All-Star break) and offers even more positional versatility.
Recent deadline acquisition Kevin Kiermaier (1 for 16 in six games) hasn’t been swinging well since he was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for long reliever Ryan Yarbrough. But he is perhaps the only above-average center fielder on the roster, and the Dodgers weren’t ready to part with him — at least not with Tommy Edman still on the injured list.
Manager Dave Roberts said Edman will be the team’s everyday center fielder upon his return.
Assuming the rest of the Dodgers’ position player contingent was healthy, that effectively left two players on the potential chopping block: Rosario and shortstop Nick Ahmed.
Ahmed, 34, is a two-time Gold Glove award winner at shortstop who has appeared in 14 of the 16 games the Dodgers have played since he was signed as a free agent on July 24, starting 12. Ahmed cost the Dodgers virtually nothing to sign — he was designated for assignment and released two weeks earlier by the San Francisco Giants.
Ahmed isn’t strong with the bat; he’s slashing .268/.286/.341 since he was acquired. His strikeout rate (28.6 percent) and walk rate (2.4 percent) suggest his plate discipline isn’t as strong as Rosario’s, and his .357 batting average on balls in play suggest his batting average is perhaps a bit inflated by batted-ball luck.
Today’s transaction suggests the Dodgers value Ahmed’s defense at shortstop more than Rosario’s versatility. For now at least, his roster spot is safe.
The Dodgers are expected to activate Edman and Max Muncy this week, however. Don’t be surprised if Ahmed (and Kiermaier) finds his name on the chopping block.
Photo Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
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What is the situation with Rosario? First, there must be some reason that the Dodgers don’t play him and (good hitter and the fastest runner on the team). Second that they DFA him and keep (and play) Kiermaier. There is a story there somewhere. At least, I hope so. From the outside, it looks really dumb!
I don’t get it. A .300 hitter who rarely strikes out with speed and can play several positions. For the playoffs he’s the perfect guy off the bench that can hit both lefties and righties. DFA’d with nothing back? Something is fishy about this. Ahmed, Kiermier, even CT3 would be expendable. If these guys can bunt the ball, maybe might be worth it. LOL
Dodgers decision making this year is like a episode of Files!!!!
Previous to this season, I had been a Dodger Fan since 1963, when I was 4 years old. However, the actions of management and the manager have made it impossible for me to be a fan this year. Specifically, I feel that the Dodgers need a new manager. Roberts might be one of the best regular season managers, but he is by far and away, the worst post season manager in the history of baseball. I hope he will be released soon, so I can once again pull for the Dodgers.
I completely agree with this man! Robert’s makes stupid decisions during the playoffs, over and over again. All this talent on a great team and he’s full of fear in not making the proper decisions at the right time. Especially in the pitching department! Hire a new manager with some balls in the proper place!
Doc has to do what the owners say to do.
I agree. I’ve been following the Dodgers since 1972 and Roberts is far and away the worst manager they have had. I actually have found myself hoping they will lose so that he could be fired (and Friedman also, but how likely is that) Roberts may be good with pep talks and coaching the players, but his decisions regarding lineups and pitching changes are horrible. People talk about him having such a good record, but almost anyone would have a good record with the talent the Dodgers have.
I completely agree with this man! Robert’s makes stupid decisions during the playoffs, over and over again. All this talent on a great team and he’s full of fear in not making the proper decisions at the right time. Especially in the pitching department! Hire a new manager with some balls in the proper place!
A couple of things:
1. Darla, you’re oversimplifying this and eliminating ANY of the blame from Roberts.
2. Yes, bad in the playoffs, but as we’ve seen this year, he struggles to make any adjustments when the team is not playing well. He has no clue or ability to make adjustments that may steer the ship back on course.
3. I’ve been calling him the Marty Schottenheimer of MLB for years. If you’re a hockey fan, it’s Bruce Boudreau.
4. Mattingly, with a far less roster, was fired after an NLCS loss, followed by 2 NLDS losses. Roberts managed them to an NLCS loss in 2021, and 2 straight NLDS losses in a row. They’re now 3 – 10 in their last 3 playoff series games and losers of 6 in a row. Yet, here he sits on the bench looking bewildered when they don’t win. Oh, and those series losses? To teams we finished 18 games, 22 games, and 16 games better. Talk about underperforming.
No, it’s not ALL Roberts. But if he garners support for winning the NL West and attendance awards, then he HAS to share at least some of the responsibility for their playoff failures. It is really tough to watch.