Cody Snavely
With the activation of Mookie Betts off the 10-day injured list yesterday, the Los Angeles Dodgers made the shocking decision to DFA recently acquired utilityman Amed Rosario to make room on the 26-man roster.
With the DFA, the Dodgers have also cleared a spot on the 40-man roster, which is important as come the next homestand, the Dodgers will be set to activate two players off the 60-day injured list: Max Muncy and Tommy Edman.
However, the news that Amed Rosario is on the chopping block was surprising to many, including myself. The lefty masher has had a great season between the Tampa Bay Rays and his short stint with the Dodgers this season, hitting .305/.331/.415 with a .746 OPS and 113 OPS+ in 275 at-bats.
However, with Mookie Betts staying exclusively in right field for the remainder of the 2024 regular season, Gavin Lux on a second-half tear, and the offensive resurgence of Kiké Hernández, there was simply no spot for Rosario, who the Dodgers viewed strictly as a bench bat.
This isn’t the first time Rosario has made headlines with the Dodgers in his brief stay this season. Just last week, many fans and MLB insiders were questioning why the Dodgers were not giving Rosario more plate appearances since he had been hitting the ball well all season.
Rosario, 28, has been a left-handed masher throughout his career, hitting .301/.341/.466 with a .807 OPS against southpaws. However, in 2024, Rosario had an elite slash line against both righties (.292/.316/.386) and lefties (.327/.355/.462) and made the most of his opportunities with the Dodgers this season, hitting .273/.333/.364 in eleven at-bats.
With Betts moving back to be the club’s everyday right fielder and Gavin Lux becoming the Dodgers’ best hitter in the second half, hitting .358/.429/.597 with a 1.026 OPS, Miguel Rojas becoming the full-time shortstop, Max Muncy close to a return, and Teoscar Hernández manning left field, there was no spot for an everyday role.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated this when pressed by the media about why Rosario was not in the lineup last week, saying he is not an everyday player on this team.
To be quite frank, he’s not on this team, and we didn’t acquire him, to be an everyday player.
On the bench, the Dodgers value Kiké Hernández’s defensive versatility, along with his improved hitting since he started wearing prescription glasses. While veteran lefty outfielder Kevin Kiermaier has not hit well this year, he provides the club with an elite center field glove in late-game situations.
What is shocking is that Rosario was DFA’d before shortstop Nick Ahmed, but with Rojas now being the only shortstop on the team, they needed a backup option until Tommy Edman is activated.
In the coming days, the Dodgers will have multiple players returning, such as Ryan Brasier during the upcoming St. Louis Cardinals series, Max Muncy and Tommy Edman next homestand, and the hopeful return of Brusdar Graterol, Bobby Miller, and Chris Taylor sometime before the season ends.
The Rosario DFA does more than just allow Betts to be activated, as stated earlier. Nick Ahmed is likely the next Dodger to bite the bullet next homestand, and after that, Andy Pages could be on his way out since he is one of the few Dodgers players with minor league options.
While Rosario would have still been a great option on the bench, with other players coming back and others starting to get hot, he did not have a guaranteed spot, a situation that also happened last year when he was left off the Dodgers National League Division Series roster.
Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
