We are less than 3 weeks away from opening the 2020 baseball season, which doesn’t leave much time for teams to figure out their 30 man rosters. The Dodgers have many names to consider for the final roster spots, but recent events may have forced them to alter their plans just a bit.
Let’s take a look at some names that may possibly force the team to change course right out of the gate.
RHP Jimmy Nelson: Lumbar Surgery – Out for the Season
The team announced Monday that Jimmy Nelson would be undergoing back surgery to address a lingering issue that kept him from gaining consistent progress. The surgery was scheduled for Tuesday, July 7th, and the prognosis is that he will miss the entire season. While this does hurt the overall depth of the squad, the Dodgers have plenty of depth to survive the loss. If anything, this helps to clarify an overly complicated pecking order when it comes to the pitching staff. We wish Nelson a speedy recovery and look forward to what he can provide next season.
IF Max Muncy: Injured Finger – Day to Day
Manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Max Muncy was held out of yesterday’s scrimmage out of precaution due to an injured finger. It’s as simple as a ball hit off of his ring finger, meaning that it shouldn’t affect his status for Opening Day. However, any injury needs to be given the proper time to heal, so it may still affect Muncy’s training schedule leading up to the season. Regardless, you can expect to see him on the 30 man roster on July 23rd.
Unknown Situations: Kenley Jansen, Gavin Lux, AJ Pollock and more
All three of these players have yet to report to the Dodgers summer training, but the reasons are unknown. Dave Roberts has mentioned that he does expect them to report, however, he is unable to comment further than that.
AJ Pollock may be the biggest wild card, as his wife recently gave birth and the child has had some complications early on. There is a possibility that he sits the season out, but there has been no announcement made.
Kenley Jansen was spotted working out days prior to the initial start of training, leading us to believe that the righty does plan on playing this year. With his complicated medical history, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he chose to sat out, but all signs point to him eventually joining the team at Dodgers Stadium. The late arrival may be due to personal business, medical boxes to check, or simply an unforeseen delay.
Gavin Lux is the real question mark here, as there was never much question around his desire to play this season. Roberts has said that all three players have indeed been in contact with him, which only adds to the intrigue.
In addition to these three, there are at least a few other regulars who have yet to report to camp for unknown reasons as well.
Keibert Ruiz and Scott Alexander among the guys that have still not reported.
Kenley, Pollock, Baez, and Gavin still have not either as confirmed by Roberts.
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) July 7, 2020
Whatever the reasons for their delayed arrivals, fans can only hope for the best and patiently wait for more updates from the team.
Final Thoughts
The injury bug is never something that teams have control over, but this season will test every team’s ability to fight around it. The Dodgers are extremely deep in comparison with most teams, and that depth will pay off in a 60 game sprint. These current setbacks don’t change the fact that they should be considered the favorites heading into the 2020 season.
