3 non-roster invitees who could make an impact for Dodgers at spring training

The Dodgers' first spring training game is just days away on Feb. 20, when they'll face the Cubs for a low-stakes preview for the Tokyo Series slated for mid-March. All eyes will be on the major league stars, but the Dodgers have also invited 24 non-rostered players to Glendale.

There's little chance that anyone breaks the major league roster, given how stacked it is, but there are a few names that fans should look out for, all of whom very well could have an impact on the team at some point this season.

3 non-roster invitees who could make an impact for Dodgers

Josue De Paula

De Paula's star has been steadily on the rise over the last year, especially after The Athletic's Keith Law ranked him above long-standing top prospect Dalton Rushing on his 2024 list (Rushing has since retaken the No. 1 spot on this year's list). He also drew favorable comparisons to major Dodgers trade regret Yordan Álvarez from ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, and he ranks at No. 40 in MLB Pipeline's top 100 in baseball.

He was promoted to High-A last year and will probably start 2025 there again, but he could be moved up again quickly if he regains some of the power he lost after his promotion. The Dodgers surely just want to see what he's capable of in spring training, potentially against major league pitchers, but he could threaten for a stopgap major league debut somewhere down the line.

David Bote

The Dodgers signed former Cubs fan favorite Bote to a minor-league deal in December, and he seems like the perfect fill-in in the event of an injury to Max Muncy or any of the Dodgers' many infield bench players. Bote hit well as a singles machine for the Cubs in 2024 over 37 games before Chicago finally let him go.

It's unlikely that Bote will reclaim his former glory, even with the probably necessary change of scenery, but he's a guy with considerable major league experience who the Dodgers could bring up in a pinch.

Jackson Ferris

One half of the trade that sent Michael Busch to the Cubs, Ferris closed his 2024 season out in Double-A and pitched well over seven starts (2.54 ERA). He, like De Paula, is still a little ways out from the majors, but if he makes it to Triple-A sometime in the summer and puts on a good showing there, he could get his major league debut in the event of injury or a crash-out for any of the Dodgers' bullpen arms.

He ended last season as the Dodgers' No. 4 prospect and is No. 7 on Law's list of top 20 Dodgers prospects this year (subscription required). Law notes that he still needs some work with his control (he walked 10.8% of batters last season), but his 27.5% strikeout rate could raise some eyebrows in spring training.