Toles Optioned to AAA, Farmer and Pederson Make Roster

In a somewhat surprising turn of events, it looks like Andrew Toles will not make the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster. Instead, the final two bench spots will go to Joc Pederson and Kyle Farmer to fill out the roster.

Sources: Joc Pederson and Kyle Farmer will be on the #Dodgers Opening Day roster.
Andrew Toles will be optioned down to Triple-A OKC

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— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) March 28, 2018

Farmer makes plenty of sense considering the Spring he has had paired with his defensive versatility. With Justin Turner ready to miss a decent amount of time, the Dodgers need as many able bodied third basemen as possible. Farmer provides that along with his strong defensive prowess behind the plate, backing up Barnes and Grandal.

Pederson is more of a surprise to fans and experts. After all, he hit just .212 last season with a huge decline in power. That struggle carried over into Spring Training this year where he hit a lowly .148 with 1 home run. He also struck out in nearly 25% of his plate appearances, compared to his career average of 27%. The issue has been that even when he is making contact, it certainly has not been hard contact. His playoff performance could have been his only saving grace in the final roster decision. He hit a clutch .304 with 3 home runs in the 2017 playoff run.

Andrew Toles’ Future

For Andrew Toles, not all hope is lost. Many fans will remember last year that Chris Taylor did not initially make the Opening Day roster, and we all know how that turned out. His opportunity will come, and the Dodgers have the depth to account for injuries or poor performances. A guy who is a career .294 hitter with a high ceiling deserves to play every day, and he would not have gotten that opportunity in Los Angeles. Perhaps the best thing for him to bounce back from season-ending knee surgery will be to start slow at AAA.

Regardless, the season is mere hours away. Baseball is back friends.