3 current Los Angeles Dodgers players who will be gone by May 1

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While the win-loss record might not directly show it, the 2023 Los Angeles Dodgers have put together an offensively sound team. Many of the big names from last year's roster have moved on, but the club continues to win games and score runs.

As of Wednesday, the Dodgers currently have a run differential of +21 despite a 9-9 record. That's the highest in the division and fourth best in the NL.

What helps their case even more is the fact that the Arizona Diamondbacks are the only team above them in the standings. The Snakes have surprised many out of the gate, but they likely still belong in the "pretender" category.

While the Dodgers have done well in the run-scoring department, it's important to remember that they're doing this with half the team on the injured list. As of right now, the club's starting catcher (Will Smith) and shortstop (Gavin Lux) are injured. On the pitching side of things, a whopping eight hurlers are on the shelf, including five on the 60-day IL.

There's a lot to be said for how the club has been performing without some of its big guns. However, there are still multiple players on the active roster who seem to be on the bubble. Their days on the club may be numbered, whether it's because of returning players from injuries or just overall underperformance.

These 3 Dodgers players won't be on the roster by May 1

Michael Grove

Things just have not gone Grove's way since he debuted with the club last year. The right-hander made it as high as No. 15 in the organizational prospect rankings (in 2019) but had his fair share of ups and downs on his way to The Show.

After disastrous showings in both 2019 and 2021, Grove showed some real promise in 2022 in 19 appearances split between Double-A and Triple-A. Over that time, he had a 3.79 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 76 innings, good for a K/9 of 10.7.

His brief time in the big leagues did not go all that well, though, but it certainly could've been worse. In seven outings and 29.1 innings of work, he saw his strikeout numbers dip and he was allowing far too many batters to reach base.

You likely do not need me to tell you that the 2023 season has not started off on the right foot for Grove. So far, he has made three starts and had issues with batters reaching base in each one. In a total of 13 innings, his 9.00 ERA is definitely defined by one supremely bad outing against the Diamondbacks (12 H, 9 ER in 3.1 innings), but this version of Grove doesn't seem anything like the former intriguing pitching prospect.

As soon as a player returns from the injured list or someone down in Triple-A does enough to warrant a call-up, Grove is the painfully obvious choice to get the boot. He still has two minor league options and he's still young, so there's still hope ... maybe.

Austin Wynns

This may come as a shock to some, but Austin Wynns, a journeyman catcher who couldn't hit water if he fell into the ocean, may not be long for this club.

That's not to say that he doesn't bring value in other ways, because he certainly does. While offense has never been his strong suit, the 32-year-old has developed a reputation as a strong defensive catcher who excels at calling games behind the plate. He is a well-respected backstop and fits the mold of defensive-minded student of the game that all backup catchers used to have back in the day.

Last year, Wynns made a career-high 65 appearances for the division-rival Giants, hitting three home runs and functioning as a backup to Joey Bart in San Francisco. He made it into just one game for the club this year before being designated for assignment and later released.

Two days later, the Dodgers picked him up once Will Smith went down with an injury. It's not that there weren't internal options on-hand to replace Smith, but Wynns was likely the top option. Down in Triple-A, former big leaguers Patrick Mazeika and David Freitas are playing out minor league contracts, but neither have done much in the big leagues and don't quite carry the same weight as Wynns does (which ... is saying something).

Regardless of what Wynns does or does not bring to the table, he's surely going to be cut loose once Smith returns from the concussion IL. He's out of minor league options and seems destined for a return to the open market in the next few days.

Luke Williams

Williams, 26, is perhaps best known for having the best two days a player making his big league debut could possibly have. In 2021 as a member of the Phillies, he broke into the big leagues and notched a pinch-hit triple in his debut. The next day, he hit a two-run walk-off homer to cap off his first start in the majors.

And that's been pretty much it for him.

Using more than just statistics and going with the old fashioned eye test, Williams doesn't seem to do anything at an above-average clip on a baseball diamond. He's a versatile defender who has lined up all over the infield and outfield in his time, but he doesn't look overly comfortable at any spot outside of first base or maybe second base.

The bat is just not there, either. His three-year career has seen him hit just three home runs, post a .238 average and 71 OPS+, and strike out in over 27% of his at-bats.

After being claimed off of waivers from the Marlins in November of last year, the Dodgers non-tendered Williams at the end of the season and re-signed him to a minor league contract in February. He had been tearing it up in Triple-A (.375 average in 14 games and 56 at-bats with two home runs and 13 RBI), but is not expected to play much of a role in the big leagues.

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These 3 Dodgers players won't be on the roster by May 1

Michael Grove

Austin Wynns

Luke Williams

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