3 Dodgers players who will lose their roster spot after Teoscar Hernández signing

The Dodgers have added six new players to their roster this offseason, either via free agent signing or trade. The latest addition, Teoscar Hernández, joined the team for one year and $23.5 million as that 40th man at the time of his signing. Although the Dodgers made a trade of Yency Almonte and Michael Busch to the Dodgers in exchange for prospects, clearing up one space (Hernández's signing isn't official yet), we can still wonder who might be getting the boot if the Dodgers are still looking to accommodate at least one more starting pitcher and maybe a few more bullpen arms Opening Day.

Hernández's signing has probably eliminated the possibility of the return of a former Dodger also named Hernández, but it will mean something more urgent for players who just don't fit into the star-powered, household name mold the Dodgers have constructed this offseason. A few more players might be sent packing soon, to preemptively avoid any shuffling that will have to be done if the team gets more than two arms.

3 Dodgers players who will lose their roster spot after Teoscar Hernández signing

The Dodgers are ambitious and ready to spend, so the question isn't if they'll get another starting pitcher, but when. Whether players who might be considered surplus will be packaged up in a trade for that pitcher or sent through waivers if the Dodgers make another free agent splash remains to be seen, but we do know that at least someone will be going soon. Here are three prominent Dodgers players who could lose their roster spot following the Hernández signing.

Miguel Vargas

Vargas, an international free agent signing for the Dodgers in 2017, shot up through the minors starting in 2018. He hit .315 before he was called up for the first time in 2022, prior to which he climbed MLB Pipeline's Top 30 Dodgers prospects list and peaked at No. 5. In 2023, Vargas played in 81 games from Opening Day to early July before he was sent back down, batting .195/.305/.367 at the major league level and largely playing second base. He hit well back in Triple-A but still struggled more than he ever had in the minors, with a career-worst .288 batting average.

Vargas' future with the Dodgers has been dubious ever since they made their intention to move Mookie Betts to second base in 2024 known. They could want to keep him as a depth option, but Chris Taylor fits that profile better as a provably versatile utility man who hit better than Vargas in 2023. It's possible he'll be off the 40-man by Opening Day via a semi-high-profile trade, but far less likely that he'll be on the 26-man. He has one more minor league option left, so the Dodgers could hold off and keep him until the start of the season to send him down without exposing him to the waiver process. Either way, he seems destined for the minors again.

Miguel Rojas

Veteran Miguel Rojas is also most certainly on the chopping block after Hernández's signing, especially given Gavin Lux's return to ease the Dodgers' concerns about shortstop. Rojas played 121 games there in 2023, but only hit .236 and had to share the position a bit more toward the end of the season with Kiké Hernández, who the Dodgers reacquired via trade from the Red Sox to help at second and short. Hernández got the start over Rojas for the last game of the season, and Rojas' future with the major league team is dubious.

At 34, Rojas is also relatively old for his position and his production has been declining since the beginning of 2022. If he's DFA'ed by the Dodgers, he could be picked up by another team as the league hurts for shortstops on the free agent market, but he probably won't be a Dodger by Opening Day in March.