James Tibbs III's surge should have this unlikely Dodgers player watching his back

No. 10 prospect James Tibbs III is most of what Dodgers fans are talking about these days. The Dustin May deal with the Red Sox looked bad from the very beginning, but everything Tibbs has done since has made it look even worse, and worse, and worse.

May has a 15.95 ERA in his first two starts for the Cardinals. Tibbs is hitting .474 with a 1.719 OPS through nine games with the Oklahoma City Comets. He has four doubles, a triple, seven homers, and 13 RBI. Three of those homers came on the same night.

The Dodgers don't have untouchable prospects because they don't need to have untouchable prospects. They can afford to buy any free agent they'd like, or they can trade for a star with some of their developing talent and let the buyer take the risk.

Tibbs might be getting as close to untouchable as Dodgers prospects come, though. Although he was just promoted to Triple-A, any other team without a solid outfield would have to think long and hard about calling him up for his major league debut right about now.

If the Dodgers were to decide that Tibbs is a rare exception to the rule, like Will Smith and Andy Pages, they can't keep him in Triple-A forever. Who would get the bump if he becomes indispensable?

Dodgers might have to reconsider a Teoscar Hernández trade if they decide to keep James Tibbs III

The easy answer is Alex Call, who has gotten very little playing time so far this year and is really just around for late-innings assurance on defense and maybe the occasional start on a rest day for one of the other outfielders. Trading him would be relatively easy, but it still wouldn't be a long-term solution to give Tibbs a real runway.

If the Dodgers wanted to avoid the same problem they're having with Dalton Rushing, they might have to reconsider trading Teoscar Hernández.

LA was reportedly "kicking the tires" on a Hernández trade in the offseason before they signed Kyle Tucker, and the rumors went as far as to identify a potential suitor in the Royals. Hernández is off to a nice start this season, but if his offensive performance flags like it did last year, it could be something for the Dodgers to consider.

It feels unlikely a move like this would happen this season. The Dodgers would never give up a tried and true veteran to take a chance on a rookie when they're trying to three-peat. But the offseason, no matter the outcome of the postseason, could be a different story.

Picture it. The Dodgers trade Call this season to give Tibbs a bench spot. If he continues to live up to expectations, they trade Hernández in the offseason and find a new backup outfielder, or pick any one of their many, many other outfield prospects for the job.

If a guy like Tarik Skubal were to become available at the deadline, Tibbs will probably be a goner, but the stars have to align perfectly for that. Otherwise, he's forcing the issue and begging for a promotion to the big leagues very soon.