Dustin May named No. 5 starter + other news
Dodgers make a number of moves
Remember what I said the other day about Dustin May opening up the season in the minors? Disregard that!
It looks like May will be the Dodgers’ No. 5 starter to begin the season. His spot in the rotation wasn’t necessarily won, however. May will begin the season with LA because of yet another injury.
Tony Gonsolin, who I had winning the fifth and final spot in the rotation, will begin the season on the injured list. According to Dave Roberts, Gonsolin suffered a back injury while lifting weights. Luckily it doesn’t sound like the injury is anything serious, but Gonsolin won’t be able to build up in time for the regular season.
When I wrote about Gonsolin the other day, I didn’t realize how long it had been since we had seen him in a Cactus League game. He last pitched on February 26. That should have been a red flag.
May appeared in three games this spring for a total of five innings. He allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits. May also issued four walks and struck out six.
Personally, I still don’t think May should be given the keys to begin the season. He threw only five innings and we have to remember he hasn’t seen big league action in nearly two years. His last major league game was May 17, 2023.
I would have had him begin the season on the IL and make a few rehab starts in OKC before returning to the show. The Dodgers have plenty of options to fill the void in Landon Knack, Justin Wrobleski and Ben Casparius. I thought they could have been some combo of LA’s No. 5 starter.
Despite poor numbers in spring, the Dodgers clearly think May is ready and are confident in him to be that final piece in the rotation. Things will definitely get interesting once Gonsolin is ready to return. Like I’ve speculated before, I think May would go to the bullpen in that scenario.
Hyeseong Kim will begin season in minors
This shouldn’t come as a major surprise, but rookie Hyeseong Kim will begin the season in Oklahoma City.
Very small sample size, but things have been rough for Kim at the plate this spring. He’s 6-for-29 with a home run, with his other five hits being singles. In addition to not getting on base, a good amount of Kim’s at bats resulted in strikeouts. Kim has struck out 11 times this spring, tied for the third most on the team.
I’ve been pretty skeptical about Kim, as I have genuine concerns with his bat. We’ve seen better players come over from the KBO and really struggle. Obviously Kim could become a valuable MLB player, but he’s going to need to show he can at least hit in Triple-A before the Dodgers call him up.
We know the value he provides with his glove and on the bases. He’s shown off the leather and the speed this spring. While seeing him go the opposite way for a homer was definitely encouraging, he didn’t have many at bats that left you feeling impressed.
As I wrote when the Dodgers signed him, he doesn’t need to be a league average hitter (100 wRC+) at the plate. While you would certainly like him to be, his defense and speed adds to his value. I seriously think the Dodgers would be happy if he could give them an 80 wRC+. Anything above that will have them jumping for joy.
James Outman or Andy Pages?
With Kim beginning the season in the minors, the final roster spot is down to James Outman and Andy Pages.
Outman led the team with 15 strikeouts (!!!!) this spring. He struck out in over 40 percent of his plate appearances. Not great!
Despite those horrific strikeout numbers, Outman still managed to post an OPS of .816 which is well above league average. Hell, an .816 OPS is nearly All-Star caliber in today’s game. He also had four extra-base hits and drove in six runs. So essentially, when Outman wasn’t striking out — he was fantastic.
Another valuable tool Outman provides is his defense in center field. With Teoscar Hernandez and Michael Conforto expected to cover the corner outfield spots, you could really use solid defense in center field, which Outman provides.
Meanwhile with Pages, his spring was rough at the plate. He posted a .634 OPS and had only one extra-base hit. In addition, his defense in center field was rough to watch once again. He had a couple of nice plays, but there were also a number of plays he made that had you wanting to pull your hair out.
I guess the decision comes down to what the Dodgers ultimately value the most. If they value center field defense, it is clearly Outman. If they value the bat, I’d give the edge to Pages.
Although Outman was better at the plate this spring, Pages has proven he can perform at the big league level more recently. He was also fantastic against left-handed pitching last season as a rookie, posting an OPS above .900. The Dodgers could play Pages in center field against lefties with Tommy Edman at second base.
However, a defensive trio featuring Conforto/Pages/Teo has me terrified.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Dodgers truly prefer and who they go with!