Before Cactus League play began, the Los Angeles Dodgers were projected to choose between Chris Taylor, Andy Pages, and James Outman for the last roster spot.
However, Eddie Rosario isn’t going down without a fight.
Rosario blasted the Dodgers’ first home run of the spring Friday and went 1-for-2 with a run scored and two runs batted in.
Through three games, Rosario is 2-for-7 with three strikeouts, three RBIs, one walk, and one run scored.
How does the former NLCS MVP and 2021 World Series champion stack up against his competition?
Outman doubled for his first hit on Monday.
He is 1-for-7 with a run scored, a walk and five strikeouts. Pages is 1-for-8 with a walk and four strikeouts. Taylor is 2-for-8 with a run scored, a walk and five strikeouts.
Judging by numbers alone, Rosario appears to be right at the top of the race. All four players have appeared in three games and have roughly the same sample size to work with.
The Dodgers brought Rosario in on Feb. 15 after he was released from a previous minor league deal with the New York Mets back in August.
He’s coming off a disastrous 2024 hitting just .175/.215/.316 in 91 games with the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves.
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The good news for Rosario is that Taylor and Outman also struggled last year.
The bad news for Rosario is he isn’t as versatile as Taylor and the Dodgers love having utility players who can play any position.
“I’ve always said that one of Chris’ superpowers — and he’s won a lot of big games for the Dodgers in the biggest of moments — is his mindset, his mentality to be ready for whatever we ask of him,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I still believe that’s a superpower, and his ability to play all over the diamond. So he’s got various gloves. He’s healthy. He’s moving really well. So it could be from third base to left field to center field, and I think after that, there’s (playing) second base in there. But I think CT just knows how to prepare himself.”
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Taylor is Rosario’s biggest threat and he isn’t going to give up his spot easily. The fact that he’s due $15 million this year definitely doesn’t help Rosario’s case.
“Being a Dodger means everything to me,” Taylor said. “I’m so grateful that I was given the opportunity. Getting traded here in 2016 is the best thing that ever happened to me. I know this is the best organization in baseball, and I feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to play here as long as I have, and I’m hoping to continue to play here.”
