The Los Angeles Dodgers pitching depth took a bit of a hit in recent days as offseason signee Tom Koehler was removed from his appearance with an apparent shoulder injury. He was subsequently sent for an MRI, which revealed a mild anterior capsule strain in his right shoulder.
The injury won’t require surgery, but Koehler isn’t certain if he will be sidelined for weeks or upwards of months. With Koehler beginning the season on the disabled list, that opens up another roster spot in the bullpen that pitchers are competing for.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently named Scott Alexander, Pedro Baez, Tony Cingrani, Kenley Jansen and Ross Stripling as locks to make the Opening Day roster, leaving three more spots up for grabs if the team moves ahead with their plan of carrying eight relievers.
Among those vying to crack the roster is right-hander Wilmer Font, who Roberts said has a good chance of being with the Dodgers come Opening Day, via Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
Font has a good chance to make the Dodgers Opening Day bullpen. Today will be likely his final start of the spring as he transitions to a relief role.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) March 6, 2018
Font is out of Minor League options, so the Dodgers risk losing him from the organization if he is not on the 25-man roster or the disabled list to begin the season.
In 134.1 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City last season, Font went 10-8 with a 3.42 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 178 strikeouts to just 35 walks. He did not fare as well in the big leagues after being called up in September, allowing seven hits and seven runs in just 3.2 innings.
The 27-year-old has gotten off to a good start this spring as in two appearances (four innings) he has given up just one hit and one run while striking out six without issuing a walk.
Despite being mainly a starter last year, Font does have some history as a reliever. All eight of his career Major League appearances and 98 of his 203 career Minor League games have come out of the bullpen.
