With less than two weeks until Opening Day, the Los Angeles Dodgers will soon construct their initial 25-man roster to kick off the 2018 season.
There are two notable positional battles taking place as Spring Training comes to a close, specifically in left field and the bullpen. For the latter, there are plenty of spots still up for grabs, as the Dodgers intend to carry seven or eight relievers come the regular season.
One of the many arms vying for a bullpen spot is journeyman Wilmer Font, who earned a September call-up last year after an exceptional campaign with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
He has struggled thus far this spring, seeing time as a starting pitcher and reliever. In six games (three starts), Font has compiled an 8.44 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over 10.2 innings with 11 strikeouts to six walks.
Font has seen an increased workload this spring, given he is out of Minor League options. If the right-hander isn’t included on the Opening Day roster, he would have to pass through waivers and accept an outright assignment to remain with the organization.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is mindful of Font’s unique situation and believes he warrants an extended look to determine his future.
“With Wilmer, he’s out of options. “It’s clear that he understands that, we understand that. So we’ve got to give him a long, hard look and give him opportunities to show us what he’s capable of doing out of the bullpen,” Roberts explained.
“I think it’s a situation where we have to turn every stone over and do everything we can to see what we have.”
In Font’s most recent appearance on Friday, he yielded three earned runs and four baserunners across two innings. But all of that damage came in his first inning of work, as the 27-year-old tossed a perfect inning to conclude his outing.
“The second inning was signs of what we’ve heard about Wilmer,” Roberts said. Earlier this spring, Roberts deemed that Font had a “very good” chance of breaking camp with the Dodgers as a reliever.
Whether that’s still the plan remains to be seen, but it’s safe to say Font will continue receiving a fair share of opportunities as Cactus League play dwindles down.
