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4 Dodgers who won't make the Opening Day roster but will contribute a lot in 2023
There's only room for 26 players on the Opening Day roster, so even some promising Spring Training performers won't be able to make it back to Los Angeles with the Dodgers come March 30. The front office will likely have to make some tough calls.
That's even with all of the roster issues. Gavin Lux is out for the season. Multiple relievers won't be ready for the start of the year as they work their way back from injuries. Expect the 2023 season to feature a lot of roster shuffling for the Dodgers, who will have guys coming back from the IL and others shuttling back and forth from Triple-A.
But just because somebody doesn't make the Opening Day roster doesn't mean they won't have an impact on the 2023 season. A number of Dodgers players who are either held back at the moment due to health issues or have yet to make their MLB debuts will be contributing for this team.
Some are having good springs, others will get a chance due to depth issues, and a few are on the mend from injuries suffered within the last 18 months. Who won't we see on March 30, but might see delivering in a big moment in August?
4 Dodgers who won't make Opening Day roster but will contribute a lot in 2023
Michael Busch
Busch still has a very outside chance to join the team for Opening Day after Lux's injury, but his spring isn't forcing the issue for the Dodgers. Through Wednesday's action, he's hitting .167 with a .542 OPS across 12 at-bats. Not great.
It's unfortunate that Busch doesn't play shortstop, or else he might've been a shoo-in. His experience playing first base, second base and left field might come in handy, though. Either way, his calling card so far in his minor-league career has been his bat, so he'll have to prove he can handle pitching at the next level if he wants to convince the Dodgers to give him a chance.
Even so, with the Dodgers' perilous depth situation, especially in the infield, Busch will likely get the call in the next few months solely because the Dodgers might need bodies. Then it'll be up to him to carve out a more concrete role for himself.
Daniel Hudson
Hudson pitched in just 24.1 innings for the Dodgers in 2022 before tearing his ACL. He missed the rest of the year and spent the offseason rehabbing. Though he's now facing live hitters, he dealt with ankle tendinitis, which further delayed his spring. Manager Dave Roberts said the right-hander isn't expected to be ready for Opening Day.
But you better believe he'll be a key bullpen piece after the Dodgers guaranteed his team option for 2023 shortly after his injury, and then tacked on a team option for 2024. Hudson was viewed as an important piece to bridge the gap to the ninth inning in 2022, and that'll be even more so the case in 2023 now that there's really no definitive closer situation (not that there really was with Craig Kimbrel, anyway).
Hudson's been a fairly erratic pitcher throughout his career, but he was a driving bullpen force during the Nationals' 2019 World Series title run, had a really good first half in 2021, and then appeared to be back on track with the Dodgers last year after floundering with the Padres following the '21 deadline.
He just needs to get healthy and get back to working consistently in the lab. All will be fine.
Gavin Stone
Gaaaaavin Stone is gonna be famous!! The Dodgers won't be able to keep this kid in the minor leagues for too long. His meteoric rise in 2022 earned him a non-roster invite to Spring Training, where, through Wednesday's action, he's tossed two scoreless innings (allowing one walk, one hit and striking out three).
The right-hander is looking promising, but the Dodgers probably want to see a bit more than six starts (totaling 23.1 innings) at Triple-A, which was his end-of-season workload in 2022. He finished with a 1.48 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 168 strikeouts in 26 games, totaling 121.1 innings, between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A.
The 24-year-old is nearing his MLB debut, and there's an obvious path for it to happen. Nobody would bet on this Dodgers rotation remaining healthy for the entirety of 2023. Julio Urías might be the only one to last the entire year unscathed. Clayton Kershaw hasn't seen a full healthy season since 2015. Tony Gonsolin dealt with a forearm issue at the tail end of 2022 and just sprained his ankle on March 6. Dustin May, on top of only pitching in 37 games since 2019, is entering his first full season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Noah Syndergaard is another oft-injured pitcher who just finished his first full workload in 2022 after Tommy John. There's a lot of liability here.
Ryan Pepiot will be the first line of defense, but as the season drags on, there will be a more urgent need for quality starts. Plus, the Dodgers are probably going to use 2023 to integrate as many top prospects into the mix as possible. Consider Stone among the main focuses for that project.
Alex Reyes
Like Hudson, Alex Reyes will also not be ready for Opening Day, but the Dodgers seemingly have big plans for the 2021 All-Star. LA signed him to a one-year, $1.1 million contract loaded with incentives with the hope he bounces back and provides stability in the back end of the bullpen.
The right-hander was non-tendered by the St. Louis Cardinals in November after shoulder surgery knocked him out for all of 2022 (and was expected to keep him out for the start of 2023). The Cards didn't want to pay his rising arbitration cost with the injury uncertainty, so the Dodgers guaranteed him $1.1 million with a club option for 2024 (the deal can be worth up to $10 million).
Though Reyes comes with control issues (6 BB/9 for his career), he finished with a 3.24 ERA, 4.40 FIP, 1.36 WHIP and 95 strikeouts in 72.1 innings just two seasons ago before succumbing to surgery. His fastball-slider-sinker combo is lethal when he's locating, and his velocity is off the charts (91st percentile in 2021). He also limits hard contact, as most of his underlying metrics positively align with his strengths.
He's going to need some time to get back on the horse, but expect a big second half from the former Cardinals closer as he eventually teams up with Hudson, Brusdar Graterol, Alex Vesia and Evan Phillips to shut the door on the opposition.