The second round of Los Angeles Dodgers roster cuts saw Matt Gage and Andy Lipcius optioned, while eight more players were reassigned to the Minor Leagues.
The players assigned to Minor League camp are a mix of veterans and prospects, including Kevin Gowdy, Elieser Hernández, Dalton Rushing, Trey Sweeney, Austin Gauthier, Drew Avans, José Ramos and Ryan Ward.
Although the aforementioned are no longer in big league camp with the Dodgers and have seemingly ruled out from being considered for their Opening Day roster, they remain eligible to play in Cactus League games and the Freeway Exhibition Series against the Los Angeles Angels.
Some of the players are also likely to make the trip to South Korea as the Dodgers are set to play two exhibition games prior to the Seoul Series. It’s unclear how many extra players will be on the Dodgers’ taxi squad for the trip, but it will likely be a somewhat significant amount.
Gage was acquired from the New York Yankees this offseason and pitched in four Cactus League games for the Dodgers, striking out four hitters and posting a 4.50 ERA.
Lipcius was recently acquired in a trade with the Detroit Tigers and made an immediate impact for the Dodgers, going 2-for-4 in his two games. Overall this spring, he’s batting .250 with a .641 on-base plus slugging.
Gowdy has made five total appearances with impressive results so far. He’s totaled 4.1 innings without allowing a run while adding four strikeouts with a 0.92 WHIP. He could make his MLB debut at some point during the 2024 season.
Hernández did not find much success in Cactus League games, posting a 17.18 ERA and 2.73 WHIP over 3.2 innings. The veteran has appeared in 90 games over his career, where he’s posted a 5.04 ERA.
The Dodgers top prospect, Rushing went hitless in 10 at-bats, but he did drive in two runs and work a walk. It’s unlikely he makes his MLB debut this year, but he still has a bright future ahead of him.
Sweeney is another guy who was acquired from the Yankees in the offseason, and he put up solid results in his time with the club. In 18 at-bats, Sweeney hit .278 with one home run, 2 RBI and posted an .825 OPS while playing quality defense at shortstop.
Gauthier had some bright moments in Spring Training, which included a game-winning grand slam. Overall, the utilityman hit .318 with a .964 OPS in 22 at-bats.
Avans and Ramos are another pair of non-roster players who hit well in camp, with the former batting .368 with a .954 OPS and seven runs driven in, while the latter hit .316 with one home run, five RBI and a .961 OPS.
Ward took 20 plate appearances for the Dodgers but hit just .200 with a .654 OPS, however he did drive in six runs.
Dodgers remaining roster following cuts
The Dodgers Spring Training roster is now at 41, meaning they need to make 15 more moves to get down to a 26-man roster. Emmet Sheehan is going to begin the year on the injured list, which will account for one of those moves, and Brusdar Graterol will not be on the roster for the Seoul Series either.
Some other non-roster players who will likely be moved off the Spring Training roster include Nabil Crismatt, T.J. McFarland, Chris Okey, Jonathan Araúz and Kevin Padlo.
L.A. previously cut 13 players in their first round of moves, which included a few of their top prospects in Andy Pages, River Ryan and Diego Cartaya,.
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