Dodgers: Trevor Bauer sneaks way into lineup after trolling Shane Bieber

Dodgers starter Trevor Bauer has proven time and again that spring training is meant only partially for actual work, but is mainly a great opportunity for trolling.

From the man behind the one-eyed outing, Bauer used his final spring training start Saturday as a chance to face the AL Cy Young winner mano a mano from the box.

We’re not sure how he got Dave Roberts to fall for this, but Bauer’s Saturday shenanigans resulted in a late change to the lineup.

If we were previously-installed DH Tim Federowicz, surely ticketed for the minors when camp breaks, we’d be a little bummed, too! Not going to lie.

With Shane Bieber on the mound, Bauer was clearly not deterred by the recent injury Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen suffered while batting.

Against perhaps his better judgment, he decided to devilishly beg Bieber to throw one over the heart of the plate to him.

https://twitter.com/BauerOutage/status/1375854595444858882?s=20

Dodgers starter Trevor Bauer begged his way into facing Shane Bieber.

A direct challenge!

Only one problem: Bauer wasn’t in the starting lineup. Which makes sense, seeing as he’s one of LA’s prime assets and the team doesn’t really need to learn anything about what he’s like at the dish.

Never the less, the momentum for a Bauer-Bieber showdown grew in the morning hours, with the Indians ace himself getting in on the fun.

Alas, Bauer still wasn’t actually ticketed to hit, so it seemed like we’d never learn whether he was a LaFleur or a White Goodman, to keep the Dodgeball references going.

But that’s not where our story ends.

Bizarrely, someone in the Dodgers locker room had a change of heart, and Dave Roberts decided it would actually be more worthwhile to see Bauer get his licks than to use the DH spot, a devastating blow to Federowicz’s confidence.

Less than two hours before gametime, the team released a new lineup featuring Bauer in the nine spot.

Bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for him.

Hopefully, both starters go twice through the order. Either way, we’ve been gifted with a late spring storyline we never anticipated.

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