Dodgers' Monday lineup proves Dave Roberts is taking action on Andy Pages

Andy Pages' solid rookie season for the Dodgers was admirable for a newbie, but it was hard not to compare him to the rest of LA's expensive veteran lineup unfavorably. On pretty much any other team, there'd be high hopes for him and entreaties for patience if he slumped, but when it comes to the Dodgers, anything less than the best sticks out like a sore thumb.

Pages has, in fact, not been performing well, and has been sticking out like a sore thumb, but he's been in the Dodgers' starting lineup for all 11 of their games through Sunday. He only made the roster in the first place because the team decided to start Hyeseong Kim in the minors, which has led Tommy Edman to get most of his starts at second base.

But Pages' .152 batting average and .415 OPS, along with baserunning errors and a couple of pretty awful defensive miscues, have made him a liability on both sides of the ball, and a video of Kim seemingly being congratulated by his Triple-A teammates over the weekend led to some speculation that he was getting called up, likely to replace Pages.

As of writing, the Dodgers still have Pages as they begin a three-game series in Washington DC, but their lineup for the opener doesn't include him for the first time this year.

Andy Pages gets his first seat on the Dodgers' bench this season after poor hitting, defensive blunders

It was pretty easy to conclude that the Dodgers might be running out of patience for Pages before the move, but the Monday lineup all but confirms it. Edman will take his usual spot in center field, Miguel Rojas will get the start at second base, and Chris Taylor will fill in in left.

Meanwhile, Kim's been batting pretty well in Triple-A — he has a .273 average and .823 OPS with six RBI in eight games — and he could be due for a call-up if the Dodgers sub in or pinch-hit Pages through this series against the Nationals and he can't get his act together. He and Hunter Feduccia are the only two position players with minor league options remaining, and the margin for error is slim-to-nonexistent for both of them.

It's not ideal that Taylor gets a start over anyone, even Pages, but Dave Roberts is also making a statement here: the Dodgers don't have to and won't settle for bad baseball.