These players are clearly losing Dodgers infield arms race with Mookie Betts' return pending

The Dodgers' offensive depth was put to the test just eight games into the season, when they lost Mookie Betts to an oblique strain. There's arguably just one player whose absence would be felt more — Shohei Ohtani, who else? — but LA still owns the best record in baseball even without one of their MVPs.

Even more than new addition Kyle Tucker or lineup staples Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and even Ohtani, it's been thanks to a number of fringe players who have had long-awaited breakouts. Dalton Rushing is currently the Dodgers' leader in wRC+, followed by Alex Call, Andy Pages, Teoscar Hernández, and Hyeseong Kim, who was called up as the corresponding move for Betts.

Kim has been off to the races ever since he got the call. Through seven games started, he's hitting .278 with a .891 OPS, and he picked up his first home run of the season against the Mets on Wednesday. He also made a spectacular play at shortstop just a few innings later.

Betts doesn't seem particularly close to a return, and Kiké Hernández isn't eligible to come off of the IL until May 24, but both will eventually make their ways back. Two of Kim, Alex Freeland, and Santiago Espinal will have to go back to Triple-A when they do, and Kim's making a great case for it not to be him.

Alex Freeland, Santiago Espinal look almost guaranteed to lose their roster spots when Dodgers have to shuffle

Freeland and Espinal are, quite literally, the two least valuable players on the Dodgers' roster right now, with a -0.1 and -0.2 bWAR respectively. Freeland is batting .196 with a .564 OPS; Espinal .154/.385. It's a little more acceptable for Espinal, who was always going to be a role player, but Freeland is still getting regular starts at second base.

It's clear that Freeland is pressing. The plate discipline and competitive at-bats in spring training that moved the Dodgers to choose him over Kim ahead of Opening Day has almost completely disappeared. He has four walks to 16 strikeouts in 50 plate appearances.

Espinal has been far from the revelation he was in spring training, too. He might fit into the Dodgers' vibe as well as Dave Roberts suggested, but he's not taking advantage of the few opportunities he gets.

There's still a little over a month until Hernández is eligible to come off of the IL and Betts' timeline is still very much up in the air, but both of Freeland and Espinal should be feeling some pressure right now.

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