3 players who could benefit from Dodgers’ sneaky Jack Suwinski outright

By virtue of sneaking Jack Suwinski off the 40-man roster, the Los Angeles Dodgers have opened a valuable piece of real estate, a 40-man roster spot. Well, at least temporarily. With Evan Phillips and Kiké Hernández on the 60-day IL, they don't count towards the 40-man, meaning the Dodgers currently stand at 39 occupied spots.

That means the first of a series of choices is upon us. Los Angeles will evaluate spring performances to determine who is worthy of that last spot, and then later on down the road, will reevaluate everyone again to determine who gets to stay once these two key veterans get clean bills of health.

While being selected to the 40-man roster doesn't automatically mean that a player is part of the Opening Day equation, it does mean that they are an important depth option that could quickly be called up in the event of an early injury.

With that in mind, a handful of non-roster invitees have made enough noise in spring training to deserve consideration.

Three Dodgers non-roster invitees who could snag the open 40-man roster spot

Utility man Santiago Espinal

The Dodgers love their uber-versatile utility men, and Santiago Espinal certainly fits that bill. Last season with the Cincinnati Reds, the 31-year-old logged time at every position except catcher and center field. This spring, he's been blistering hot with a .500/.519/.900 line and two homers over 27 plate appearances. As a veteran with six years in the bigs, he has the kind of veteran experience a World Series contender craves.

With Hernández out for a while and Tommy Edman working his way back from ankle surgery, having depth that can handle both middle-infield and outfield responsibilities is critical. If Espinal snags this opening, he's also in play for the Opening Day roster.

Starting pitcher Jackson Ferris

The Dodgers' top pitching prospect, Jackson Ferris, found himself in the headlines this spring not for his work on the mound, but for his role in the strange back-and-forth with the Chicago Cubs.

While Ferris has been reassigned to minor league camp, it doesn't take away from the fact that he didn't allow an earned run in either of his spring appearances, nor does the demotion eliminate him from 40-man roster consideration. He might need a bit more seasoning before a big league call-up, but if the first half of 2026 goes well, he could be in line for one. At that point, he'll need to be added to the 40-man roster anyway, so this would be just getting ahead of a near-eventuality.

Starting pitcher Chris Campos

Chris Campos is still kicking around big league camp, and his impressive performance is a big reason why. He's thrown three innings in three appearances without allowing a walk or an earned run, while piling up five strikeouts.

The 25-year-old right-hander has worked primarily as a starter in the minors, but also has experience coming out of the bullpen. If he continues to impress throughout the remainder of the spring, he could wrestle away this final spot and serve as a shuttle arm if needed in 2026.