The Pre-Disabled List

It looks like one of the few injured Dodgers that will be ready for opening day is shortstop Corey Seager. I do not know when the Dodgers can officially start a Disabled List but it looks like they will be able to already fill that list. How many players can you put on the Disabled List? Yasmani Grandal's shoulder is still bothering him, Howie Kendrick was scratched from his latest start with a calf problem, and then there are the pitchers. Brett Anderson has already been lost for several months, Alex Wood has had various issues, Scott Kazmir has had a mystifying loss in velocity, and Mike Bolsinger was scratched from his last start due to an abdominal muscle issue.

Injuries Continue To Mount

Injuries continue to change the look of the Los Angeles Dodgers opening day roster. It was announced that outfielder Andre Ethier was going to miss 10 to 14 weeks with a broken tibia after fouling a pitch off his lower leg during a spring training game. Ethier had already been announced as the starting leftfielder and his absence can stretch into July. Carl Crawford and Scott Van Slyke will probably platoon in Ethier's absence and the Dodgers also have a couple of ex-infielder's- Enrique Hernandez and Alex Guerrero- that are trying to make the conversion to the outfield. There are enough at bats to go around for everyone- for now.

Trayce Thompson, the outfielder acquired in a trade this off season, is the odd man out. He has only batted .184 this spring with two homeruns but as brittle as the outfielders are- namely Carl Crawford and Scott Van Slyke- it is only a matter of time before Thompson is called up to the Dodgers.

A Camp Of Attrition

Spring Training 2016 has turned into a camp of attrition for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are still looking to fill out their starting rotation but the candidates- Brandon Beachy and Mike Bolsinger are the frontrunners- but they went down with nagging injuries with only a little more than a week to go in camp. Alex Wood has also been slowed by injury and has only made two stats this spring and Scott Kazmir had an encouraging last outing after getting shelled in his first two starts.

Rookie shortstop Corey Seager has been sidelined by a knee strain and has been limited to 13 at bats this spring, Andre Ethier just went down after taking a foul ball off of his lower leg, Yasmani Grandal has a shoulder issue, Howie Kendrick has missed some time, Adrian Gonzalez is just now getting in some time on the playing field, and Justin Turner is working his way back from microfracture surgery in the off season. That would be three potential members of the starting rotation and six regulars. As a Dodgers fan, that is not the start to the season I was hoping for.

The Evaluations Begin

I would have to believe that Clayton Kershaw and Kenta Maeda are the only two starting pitchers that are guaranteed a spot in the starting rotation. Kazmir was not sharp in his initial outing of the spring and neither was Alex Wood. Zach Lee and Brandon Beachy also looked good in their first outings of the spring but Lee's body of work will be more closely examined than a veteran pitcher's would be and Beachy has had an injury plagued career and has missed the majority of the past two seasons. The Dodgers started the spring with a surplus of starting pitching and they are down to a pool of six unless Jose Deleon or Julio Urias both have such an outstanding spring, the do not give the Dodgers brass any choice but to take them to Los Angeles when the team breaks camp.

A Rough Beginning

Left handed starter Scott Kazmir made his first appearance in a Dodger uniform against the Texas Rangers and it was a rough start. He went two innings and gave up six hits and two runs. He struck out two and did not issue a walk. Mike Bolsinger followed Kazmir and pitched two scoreless innings allowing a hit, struck out two, and gave up a walk. A couple of Dodgers pitching prospects, Jacob Rhame and Jharel Cotton, pitched the last couple of innings. Rhame pitched a scoreless inning and Cotton pitched two scoreless frames. The Dodgers have a lot of arms in camp.

With Adrian Gonzalez sitting out with neck discomfort, Scott Van Slyke got the start at first base and hit a homerun to power the Dodgers. Corey Brown scored the tying run on a wild pitch and that was the extent of the Dodgers offense.

Showcasing Talent

Due to Brett Anderson's back surgery and Hyun-Jin Ryu's sore shoulder, the Dodgers may be in need of starting pitching before the season ever begins. The Dodgers may showcase some of their expendable talent early in spring training games and open up the possibility of a trade. Alex Guerrero and Trayce Thompson meet that criteria. Guerrero would be a perfect fit for an American League because he has not really found a defensive position with the Dodgers. He is a natural infielder but the Dodgers have been trying to make an outfielder out of him. He has some power as demonstrated by his 11 homeruns in only 219 at bats last season and his contract guarantees him a roster spot. His plate appearances may be limited with the Dodgers.

Trayce Thompson was acquired in a trade with the White Sox at the winter meetings. Unless some injuries occur, his at bats may be limited with the Dodgers. He did bat .295 with 5 homeruns and 16 RBI's over the last couple of months of last season with the White Sox and can play all three outfield positions. Thompson also only has one minor league option left and with the Dodgers glut of outfielders, he is a prime candidate to be traded.

Guerrero went two for three in the spring training opener with a long homerun off White Sox starter Jordan Danks and a double. Guerrero played third base in this game. Thompson was hitless in three at bats and played centerfield.

Injuries Starting To Mount

Los Angeles Dodgers left handed starting pitcher Brett Anderson made it all the way through last season without being injured. He did not even make it to the first official pitch this spring before ending up on the disabled list. He is out for three to five months due to back surgery. Hyun-Jin Ryu has already been shut down due to soreness in his pitching shoulder.

The Dodgers started out spring training with seven potential starting pitchers. They are already down to five and that includes Alex Wood and Mike Bolsinger who were on the outside looking in at the bottom end of the rotation and now it looks like they may get rotation spots by default. Alex Wood was acquired from the Atlanta Braves at last season's traded deadline. He made 12 starts with the Dodgers down the stretch and went 5-6 with a 4.35 ERA. Bolsinger made 21 starts with the Dodgers last season and went 6-6 with a 3.62 ERA. The knock on him was that he could not pitch deep into games. He only overaged a little over five innings per start. I look for the Dodgers to try to add another starting pitcher via trade before the season begins.