Dodgers player fans least expect hits first homer of spring training vs Cubs

Former NLCS MVP Eddie Rosario had seen better days before the Dodgers signed him a surprise minor-league deal just a few days before the first game of spring training. He was coming off of a -1.6 fWAR year with the Nationals and Braves, when he hit .175 with a .531 OPS over both teams. That wasn't even his worst season to date; he struggled similarly in 2022 in Atlanta.

But Rosario still had a certain pedigree. He received MVP votes twice and Rookie of the Year votes in his debut season, and the Dodgers had nothing to lose by signing a guy who could be a decent enough stopgap option later in the season.

He was in LA's first spring lineup against the Cubs on Thursday afternoon in Glendale. Batting fifth in the lineup with James Outman on first after a hit by pitch, Rosario faced new Cubs acquisition Cody Poteet in the bottom of the second and was down in the count 0-2 after fouling off three consecutive pitches.

Poteet's fourth pitch was a hanging curve, and Rosario could have been more all over it. You knew it basically as soon as he connected with the ball: it was gone for a homer to score the first two runs of spring.

New Dodgers minor league signing Eddie Rosario hits first homer of spring training

Poteet had a rough second inning, even without the homer. After Rosario rounded the bases, he gave up a single to David Bote and a double to Hunter Feduccia. He managed to induce an out on a Hyeseong Kim groundout, but a wild pitch to Dalton Rushing at the bottom of the ordered allowed the Dodgers' third run of the day to score. Rushing's plate appearance ended with a walk, and the Cubs were quick to yank Poteet from the game.

Rosario, a guy who was once capable of hitting 30+ homers in a year (even though that was 2019, when everyone was mashing), only managed 10 in 2024. He's been remarkably up-and-down over the last three seasons, with a positive WAR year sandwiched between a -1.7 2022 and -1.6 2024, but he was able to knock 24 out of the park in 2023.

Rosario will almost certainly start the season in Triple-A, but he's fighting with the likes of Bote, Outman, and Andy Pages to get called up in the event on an injury. A homer in his first at-bat in a Dodger uniform is definitely a good first impression.