The Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday optioned Brett Eibner and Willie Calhoun, Jose Miguel Fernandez, Darnell Sweeney and Alex Verdugo to Minor League camp. The club’s fourth wave of roster cuts came after the Dodgers’ loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Calhoun, Sweeney and Verdugo each appeared off the bench in the contest at Camelback Ranch. The trio logged their respective first and only plate appearances of the afternoon in the eighth inning.
Verdugo struck out, Sweeney popped-out, and Calhoun hit an RBI single to push across one of the Dodgers’ two runs in the inning.
Eibner hit .306/.405/.639 with four doubles, one triple, two home runs and 10 RBI in 36 plate appearances over 19 Cactus League games. He was acquired in a January trade with the Oakland Athletics, who received Minor League infielder Jordan Tarsovich.
Eibner spent a portion of the 2016 season with the Kansas City Royals and Athletics, batting a combined .193/.266/.353 with 10 doubles, six home runs and 22 RBI over 70 games. Even with Andre Ethier suffering from a mild disc herniation, Eibner figures to factor prominently in depth for Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Calhoun was off to a slow start this spring as the Dodgers first focused on instilling a more set regimen for the young second baseman. But upon debuting March 5, Calhoun appeared in 13 consecutive games and 15 of the last 16.
The lone contest missed was Sunday’s exhibition game against 2017 World Baseball Classic semifinalist Team Japan. Calhoun batted .360/.385/.560 with two doubles, one home run and five RBI. He put together a four-hit performance against the Cleveland Indians on Monday.
After sorting through visa issues, Fernandez was officially signed and reported to camp on Feb. 17. The Cuban native had just four hits, two RBI and scored three runs in 24 at-bats, while appearing in 18 Cactus League games.
Sweeney, in his second go-around with the organization, hit .297/.333/.486 with one double, two home runs and four RBI in 21 games. The 26-year-old garnered praise for his versatility, logging time at second base, third base, shortstop and center field.
Sweeney made his MLB debut with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2015, appearing in 37 games and batting .176/.286/.353.
Verdugo split his time between the Dodgers and WBC as he joined Adrian Gonzalez and Sergio Romo in representing Team Mexico. Verdugo hit .231/.231/.538 with one double, one home run and three RBI over nine games with the Dodgers, and had five hits in 14 at-bats in three WBC games.
The Dodgers now have 46 players remaining in big league camp, excluding Yimi Garcia who is on the 60-day disabled list after undergoing Tommy John surgery last December.
