Who is Jake Marisnick Going to Replace on the Dodgers Active Roster?
The Dodgers have reportedly signed free agent outfielder Jake Marisnick to a major league deal and he’s expected the join the active roster once the team resumes play on Friday in New York against the Mets. With the contract being of the major league variety, naturally, the question arises, where does he fit on the roster?
Source: Jake Marisnick is signing a major-league contract with the Dodgers. The outfielder declined a minor-league assignment with the Tigers and elected free agency.
— Kenny Van Doren (@thevandalorian) July 13, 2023
Another question is, how does he fit on the team? First, let’s try to answer the roster question.
Currently, the 26-man roster is at 25 after the Dodgers optioned second baseman Miguel Vargas to the minor leagues last Sunday. Presumably, the plan has been for Chris Taylor to be activated from the 10-day injured list on Friday and take that spot. So, another move would have to happen, if that’s still the case.
Of the options on the bench, the most likely names that could be optioned to Triple-A are infielder Yonny Hernandez, or outfielder Jonny DeLuca. The rookie DeLuca seems like the more obvious choice for two reasons. He’s an outfielder, as is Marisnick… and he needs to get more playing time than he’s currently getting as a platoon hitter on the bench.
If it does end up being DeLuca, the Dodgers will finally be filling the role left behind by the injured Trayce Thompson who still isn’t expected to be back for a while.
Another thing the addition of Marisnick may be signaling for the Dodgers is a more permanent role in the infield for All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts, particularly with Vargas now out in LA. The team needs more help in the outfield versus left-handed pitching and Marisnick has been decent against southpaws with a .707 OPS over the course of his career.
It’s not a long term solution but it helps hold the team over as the trade deadline approaches.
Photo credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.
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