4 Dodgers who will be off the 40-man roster by the trade deadline

Despite the Dodgers' best-laid plans, they're expected to be big buyers at the trade deadline thanks to a breakable pitching staff and a couple of lackluster bats in the lineup. They have the prospect capital to get some large deals across the finish line and desperately need the reinforcements.

The 40-man roster isn't at capacity as of July 22, but the two empty spots probably won't be enough to accommodate their deadline haul (they added five players last year). Roster crunches have to be expected, and these players could fall victim to the oncoming onslaught.

4 Dodgers who will be off the 40-man roster by the trade deadline

Michael Conforto

The front office would love nothing more than to not see their $17 million investment in Conforto go to waste, and they might see his improvements as of late as a sign that he's finally trending upwards after months of bad performance. However, the Dodgers have been loosely connected to some potentially available outfielders on the deadline, including the Guardians' Steven Kwan.

Conforto has about a week to prove that whatever improvements he's made will stick. Some Dodgers fans might still argue that a single hot streak won't prove anything, and the team should still replace him if this recent upward trend turns out to be fool's gold. It's a salient point, and if anyone could afford to make that bet, it's the Dodgers.

Esteury Ruiz

Ruiz has felt temporary ever since the Dodgers traded for him in April, and it's likely he never would've gotten a chance in the majors if not for Max Muncy's injury. Although he's been batting decently in pinch-hit or substitution appearances, and even hit his first Dodgers homer on Sunday, Muncy will be back in a few weeks and Ruiz would be easy enough to cut just to make room on the 40-man.

James Outman

Outman has become an afterthought on the Dodgers' roster and has operated simply as a last-resort outfielder this season. He was recalled on July 7 when Kiké Hernández went onto the IL, and has since batted .111 with a .422 OPS and three strikeouts in nine plate appearances since. The Dodgers used him in 53 games last year between demotions, and he made it pretty clear that his rookie season was a flash in the pan.

The White Sox have reportedly been "intrigued" by Outman, and the Dodgers would probably be more than happy to let them take him off their hands, but that could go nowhere if LA stays away from Luis Robert Jr. at the deadline (which they probably should). He could be included in a trade package if a selling team is desperate enough for outfield depth, but if he's not traded, he could just face a DFA.

Matt Sauer

Any number of the Dodgers' carousel relievers are at risk of being cleared off the 40-man, but Sauer has gotten the most major league innings of all of them and hasn't looked good. He's had four stints in the majors so far this year, but has been in the minors since June 18 after back-to-back appearances when he gave up 12 earned runs in seven innings.

The Dodgers have continued to call up an number of interim relievers since Sauer was last demoted while pretending he doesn't exist, so he's clearly fallen to the bottom of Dave Roberts' trust tree. It's basically a given that the Dodgers acquire more relievers at the deadline, and Sauer's the most obvious sacrifice.