Dodgers pick up former top Tigers prospect after recent DFA

The Dodgers made their first round of roster cuts on Sunday, sending top prospects Landon Knack, Andy Pages, Hunter Feduccia, and more back to the minors, but they're also not letting that stop them from adding more potentially interesting shaker-uppers into the mix at spring training.

The Detroit Tigers DFA'ed former top prospect Andre Lipcius last Thursday after a weak showing over five games in spring training. Lipcius was the Tigers' No. 26 prospect in 2022 and got his MLB debut in 2023, batting a respectable .286/.342/.400 over 13 games. However, with Colt Keith coming up to the majors and taking over mostly full-time at second base and the Tigers favoring their do-it-all men for the bench, there was little room for Lipcius in Detroit.

There may not be that much room for him in LA, either, but it didn't stop the Dodgers from giving him a drive. Instead of letting him clear waivers, the Tigers sent Lipcius to LA in exchange for cash.

Dodgers acquire Andre Lipcius, former No. 26 Detroit Tigers prospect, in exchange for cash

Lipcius has a very respectable minor league career behind him; in 2023, through 98 games in Triple-A, he batted .272/.363/.419 with 11 home runs, 18 hits for extra bases, and 58 RBI, and walked at an impressive 17.7% rate. In 2022, MLB Pipeline cited Lipcius' "ability to adjust during an at-bat," and made reference to him as a smart defender whose slower reaction times are made up for by reads and positioning.

He's an interesting addition to throw into the Dodgers' mix. Dodgers stars have only just really started to roll; the first few games were totally ruled by prospects and NRIs trying to compete for a smattering of available Opening Day roster spots. Lipicius can expect to compete a bit with Kevin Padlo and Trey Sweeney, infielding NRIs who have yet to be cut, and perhaps even with Miguel Vargas, who is fighting for his life with a position change to the outfield.