Cody Snavely
With the 2024 Major League Baseball regular season approaching mid-August, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been plagued with injuries, are set to have multiple players activated off the injured list before the calendar turns to September.
The first major activation will be on the upcoming road trip when all-star shortstop Mookie Betts is set to be activated off the 10-day injured list after fracturing his left hand on June 16th.
It was confirmed by Dave Roberts during yesterday’s pre-game media scrum that once Betts is activated, he will go back to shortstop after there was much speculation about where the thirty-one-year-old would play, with some suggesting a move back to right field making the most sense.
With Betts returning to being the everyday man at shortstop, what does this mean for the future defensive alignment once others are activated off the injured list?
Rojas will go back to the utility bench back he excelled at all season
When the Dodgers reacquired veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas in a trade with the Miami Marlins during the 2022-2023 offseason, it was envisioned that he would primarily be a bench bat and late-inning defensive replacement.
However, in back-to-back seasons, Rojas had to step up and become a full-time starter. Last season, it was because of Gavin Lux‘s season-ending ACL/MCL injury. This year, it was due to a hand fracture to Mookie Betts, which would sideline the National League Most Valuable Player frontrunner for six to eight weeks.
Rojas, who was known for being a glove-first player, was having an offensive uptick in terms of production. Despite being thirty-five years old, he was hitting .284/.330/.756 while moving around the infield during the first half.
However, since becoming a full-time player, Rojas’s offensive numbers have dipped, hitting .182/.217/.490 in July.
Rojas was also placed on the 10-day injured list after being removed from the series finale against the Boston Red Sox to kick off the second half due to right forearm tightness, which Rojas indicated was caused by swinging a heavy bat during the break.
Rojas, who was activated prior to yesterday’s series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies, will hold down shortstop until Betts returns. However, once the Dodgers start their next road trip, expect a part-time role moving forward this season, which should benefit the veteran utilityman.
Is Edman the new full-time center fielder?
Of all the Dodgers trade deadline moves, the most confusing to fans was when the Dodgers acquired utilityman Tommy Edman from the St.Louis Cardinals.
While in the same deal, the Dodgers acquired some much-needed bullpen help in right-handed pitcher Michael Kopech, adding Edman, who is still on the 60-day injured list due to recovery from offseason wrist surgery and a sore ankle, was not on my bingo card.
However, looking deeper into the numbers and the history of the player who Edman was and could be for the Dodgers, it makes sense why Andrew Friedman took a chance, as his versatility could help the Dodgers massively down the stretch.
What makes Edman special is his defense. The former Gold Glove Award winner has played above-average defense at every position on the baseball diamond.
The Dodgers, like many offensive first teams, have struggled somewhat on defense, specifically at shortstop and center field positions primarily held by inexperience, with Betts learning shortstop on the fly since spring training and Andy Pages, a traditional corner outfielder thrown into center field due to a down year but James Outman.
Edman has played five positions over three hundred innings in his career.
- 2B (2277 innings) 15 OAA
- 3B (570 innings) 8 OAA
- SS (1140 innings) 11 OAA
- CF (316 innings) 4 OAA
- RF (495.2 innings) 3 OAA
With Betts reverting back to shortstop, Gavin Lux set to continue to play second base after a solid second half, and the corner outfield spots taken by Teoscar Hernández and possibly Andy Pages, and Max Muncy set to return at third base before September center field is left void.
Center field is the second worst position in terms of OAA but is still miles better than the Dodgers’ current in-house lineup, which can still swing the bat at a league-average level.
The Dodgers also made an under-the-radar move this deadline, bringing in four-time Gold Glove Award winner Kevin Kiermaier, who was recently waived by the Toronto Blue Jays and acquired in a trade that sent left-handed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough to Toronto.
It has not been the best offensive season for the thirty-five-year-old veteran, who is hitting .188/.234/.298 with a 51 OPS+ over two hundred-eight at-bats, but that is not why he is here.
The defense in center field has been an issue most of the season, and Andy Pages, who has played the most games there, has been a sub-average fielder, posting a -1 OAA, -1.6 UZR, and -8 DRS.
Kiermaier has 161 DRS and a 77 UZR in his career. He also posted a strong OAA of nine, which ranks him in the 97th percentile.
With Edman being as versatile as he is while he gets the majority of starts in center field on games, he does not expect Kiermaier to be out there batting in the bottom of the lineup. While the Dodgers also have numerous players coming off the injured list and not enough space on the 26-man roster, the Dodgers will value Kiermaier’s defense, especially late in games.
Rosario & Lux platoon at second base?
It has been a complete 180 for former top prospect Gavin Lux this season. Since July 1st, the left-handed swinging second baseman has hit .313 with four home runs, fifteen RBIs, and eleven runs scored in twenty-eight games.
Throughout his short career, Lux has been a second-half hitter hitting .260/.333/.417 with a 107 wRC+ across four seasons.
However, despite the excellent play by Lux, there’s a potential for him to improve against left-handed pitching this season and in his career. Entering today, Lux has hit .182/.229/.182 with a 20 wRC+ against southpaws compared to .252/.313/.699 and 99 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers.
Lux, who was slated to be the Dodgers Opening Day shortstop, was shifted back to second base and has been serviceable at the position but has a -1 OAA and a -0.4 UZR and has made some arrant throws this season and routine groundballs.
Over the deadline, the Dodgers reacquired utilityman Amed Rosario from the Tampa Bay Rays, and according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, he will start the majority of his games against left-handed pitching.
Rosario has had an excellent season this year hitting .303/.326/.412 with a 112 wRC+ while also demonstrating his versatility by playing games at second, third, shortstop and the outfield.
Where Rosario truly shines is his ability to hit lefties. In his career, Rosario has a .300/.339/.466 slash line and is hitting .320/.343/.456 this season against southpaws.
Like Lux, Rosario is no defensive guru but is serviceable at the position but is under league average, posting a -2 DRS and -0.1 UZR.
If the Dodgers chose not to move Edman or Betts at second base, the potential platoon strategy with Rosario and Lux could be an intriguing option. This would allow Lux to primarily hit right-handed pitching, which he has done all season, and put Rosario in a position to succeed against lefties.
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