Dodgers Way Quick Hits: Brock Stewart, Kiké Hernandez, Bullpen
The Dodgers roster has been in flux over the past few days with all the injury news. Now that the news has settled the roster is near completion for opening day.
The Dodgers have had to do quite the shuffling this week with injury news to Rich Hill. Just as the rotation and bullpen were figured out, Dave Roberts and his staff had to go back to the drawing board after news of Hill’s injury came out. The rotation is now set and the order will be Hyun-Jin Ryu, Ross Stripling, Kenta Maeda, Walker Buehler, and Julio Urias barring any more last minute changes.
The bullpen is not yet set and the last spot remains to be determined. The lineup and bench are also complete with Brad Miller’s opt-out decision locking in Alex Verdugo for his first opening day in the big leagues. It’s not yet known whether Verdugo or Joc will start in left field but the favorite seems to be Joc Pederson given his proven ability to mash right-handed pitching.
The last spot in the bullpen remains open as Julio Urias has now been moved to the starting rotation after the injury to Rich Hill. The Dodgers are looking for someone who can pitch multiple innings and fill the long relief role according to Dave Roberts. The two internal options to fill that role are Dennis Santana and Brock Stewart.
Santana appeared in one game for the Dodgers last season before becoming part of the Dodgers’ long list of injured pitchers. He appeared in Colorado and gave up five runs in three-plus innings. Brock Stewart pitched almost eighteen innings for the Dodgers last season and racked up his frequent flier miles going back and forth between Oklahoma City and Los Angeles.
If the Dodgers want to keep Dennis Santana as a starting pitcher in OKC then the team should go with Brock Stewart on the opening day roster. Brock has not had favorable conditions to work with as he has never gotten to settle in at one location and one role. This is the last year the Dodgers can option Brock so it makes sense to give him one last chance in LA.
More from LA Dodgers News
- Former Astro seemingly takes uncalled for shot at Cody Bellinger after Cubs deal
- Dodgers’ 2023 lineup without Trea Turner isn’t as impressive as it should be
- Recapping who Dodgers gained and lost in Rule 5 Draft
- Dodgers ironically sign former all-star to potentially replace Cody Bellinger
- Padres-Xander Bogaerts contract feels like Manny Machado desperation
As the Dodgers look to cut down on their platoons in 2019, Dave Roberts also named Kiké Hernandez the club’s primary second baseman to begin the season. The move became obvious as Kiké has been on fire this spring batting .300 with three home runs and eleven runs batted in. This is coming off a career-best season for Kiké as he blasted 21 home runs last year.
The perfect storm is forming for Kiké Hernandez as he has just one more season left before he becomes a free agent after the 2020 season. If he goes on to have another good season in 2019 then the Dodgers are going to have to offer a nice sized contract to keep him from entering free agency.
Chris Taylor has been relegated to his super-utility role and he will still receive plenty of at-bats and playing time. The Dodgers are going to rest Corey Seager often early on in the season so Taylor should get starts at shortstop to spell Seager and receive starts in left field when the Dodgers face a left-handed starting pitcher.
With second base decided the last spot in the bullpen remains as the last roster spot to be decided. The Dodgers’ opening day roster is almost 100% finalized with that one spot the only one to be determined. Today’s game will be telling for Brock Stewart as he hopes to nail down the final roster spot in the bullpen in the last spring training game in the desert.