Bench battles
Assuming the Dodgers carry a traditional five-man bench to open up the season, there are plenty of roster battles that have yet to be sorted out.
Backing up Yasmani Grandal behind the plate was presumed to be Austin Barnes after the club traded Carlos Ruiz to the Seattle Mariners last November, but non-roster invitee Bobby Wilson is making things interesting, having slugged three home runs in 36 at-bats to date.
Veteran Franklin Gutierrez returns to the Dodgers after a 13-year hiatus from the organization, and is slated to platoon with a left-handed hitting option in left field. With Ethier expected to be out for at least the first week of April, Toles figures to fill that role for the time being.
Another veteran in Chase Utley returns to the Dodgers after re-signing on a one-year contract in February, and is a lock to make the team. Joining him for the final spot on the bench will stem from a trio of versatile infielders that can play multiple positions: Charlie Culberson, Kiké Hernandez and Chris Taylor.
Culberson is at a disadvantage because he would need to be added to the 40-man roster (which currently stands at 39), so the favorites are seemingly Hernandez and Taylor.
If the Dodgers make their decision based on spring production, Taylor stands out the most. The 26-year-old is batting .432 with a .563 on-base percentage in 48 plate appearances and has expanded his versatility by showing a willingness to play center field, in addition to the infield where he boasts a strong glove.
Non-roster invitees
Along with Culberson, another non-roster invitee who could make a serious push for a roster spot is right-hander Brandon Morrow, most recently of the San Diego Padres.
Morrow, 32, is coming off a promising, but injury-shortened two-year stint with the Padres from 2015-16, when he posted a cumulative 2.39 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 49 innings.
Finally healthy again, the fifth overall selection in the 2006 Draft appears to have a legitimate chance of claiming a spot on the Opening Day roster.
In 7.1 innings of Cactus League play, Morrow has posted an efficient 11-to-1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio, and manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the Santa Rosa, Calif., native fits the team nicely.
With Ravin and likely Baez beginning the season on the disabled list, along with Josh Fields and Chris Hatcher struggling for the majority of the spring, Morrow has an excellent opportunity of cracking the big league roster out of camp.
