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3 non-roster invitees who could steal Opening Day roster spots for the Dodgers
Coming into spring training as a non-roster invitee must be an intimidating prospect. Unlike a majority of the players already on the 40-man, NRIs have to view spring training as an audition rather than just a warm-up, getting to know a team and potential teammates while also fighting for their roster spot. The Dodgers have 20 NRIs with them at Camelback. Some are young prospects who either aren't major league ready and are just getting an opportunity to mix with the rest of the team, but most are minor league signings with major league histories, who could plausibly make it to Opening Day if they can show up in camp.
The Dodgers are pretty much set offensively, but there are vulnerabilities in the pitching staff that NRIs could exploit to make it onto the 26-man. LA have signed a number of players to minor-league deals, and we could be seeing more of a few of them heading into the season.
3 non-roster invitees who could steal Opening Day roster spots for the Dodgers
River Ryan
Ryan has been one of the most hyped-up names on the Dodgers' NRI list since it was announced, and he seems to have the best shot of any of LA's NRI prospects — which also includes No. 1 Dalton Rushing and No. 18 Trey Sweeney — to make it out of Camelback. Last year, Bobby Miller made it onto the 26-man in May after impressing Dodgers brass at spring training without even pitching in a game. He jumped over now-No. 2 prospect Diego Cartaya to get his MLB debut first despite the fact that both were essentially major-league ready (before Cartaya regressed). Ryan made it onto Keith Law of The Athletic's top 100 prospects list (subscription required) this year, ranking at No. 33, after going unranked in 2023.
He only managed to pitch seven rocky innings in Triple-A last year before the season ended, but Miller was also struggling in Oklahoma City before he was called up last year, with a 5.65 ERA over four starts. Ryan could be direct competition for Gavin Stone, who ended the 2023 season in Triple-A after pitching 31 major league innings for a 9.00 ERA, and will be also be looking to battle his way back to the big-league roster as a bullpen arm.
He's been a starter in the minors, but with the Dodgers' rotation already equipped with five possible arms (seven, when Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw can return), Ryan should be shooting for debuting during some middle innings this year. If all goes well, he could possibly even fight Emmet Sheehan for a backup spot in the rotation.
Elieser Hernández
Hernández was a lowkey minor league signing for the Dodgers this offseason, one of many bullpen arms LA secured and will undoubtedly try to reclaim during spring training or through more time in Triple-A. Before the Dodgers, he spent five years with the Marlins from 2018 to 2022 as an innings-eater in relief, averaging about 66 innings a year when you take the COVID-shortened 2020 season out of the equation. His numbers weren't great (he had a 5.19 ERA over those years), but he has been able to maintain a low walk rate and a decent strikeout rate through nine.
He was traded to the Mets in 2023 but didn't make a major league start for them, and only pitched 9 1/3 innings through the Mets' minor league system as he battled multiple injuries. However, there are a few Dodgers relievers who could be at risk during spring training if Hernández or any of his fellow NRI pitchers can come through. Gus Varland was a midseason pickup who managed to get his ERA down after a pretty disastrous few innings in Milwaukee, but he still only pitched 11 2/3 innings for a 3.09 ERA. Michael Grove came in for almost 70 innings, starting 12 games in 18 appearances, but his ERA on the year was over 6.00.
If the Dodgers can rehabilitate Hernández and get his slider and changeup to where they used to be (both had sub-.200 batting averages against in 2021) during spring training, he could have as good a shot as any to get onto the major league roster.
Nabil Crismatt
Not too long ago, Crismatt was a go-to guy for the Padres in multiple different contexts. In 2022, he threw 67 1/3 innings for a 2.94 ERA as an opener, closer, spot reliever, and long reliever, pitching as many as four innings and as few as 1/3 at a time. His ground ball, chase, and barrel percentages were bordering on elite, and he managed to maintain an elite extension even in 2023, when things went south over 13 innings with the Padres and Diamondbacks.
Crismatt seemed relieved to be out of San Diego, which could be motivating him even further to make a good case for himself at spring training. His best year isn't that far behind him, and a change of scenery could be just what he needed. We've noted a couple of vulnerable arms in the Dodgers' bullpen who the NRIs could easily compete with to earn their way onto the Opening Day roster, so if Crismatt can return to his 2022 form, get his walk rate back down, and get his once-elite changeup back to where it used to be, he could come out of the woodwork as a great candidate for the bullpen.
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