Justin Bruihl and Yonny Hernández were optioned; and Patrick Mazeika, David Freitas and Ryan Ward got re-assigned to Minor League camp as the latest round of Los Angeles Dodgers Spring Training roster cuts.
Each of the five players remain eligible to appear in Spring Training games. The Dodgers conclude Cactus League play Saturday afternoon, then return to Southern California for the exhibition Freeway Series.
Bruihl faced somewhat long odds to be part of the Dodgers bullpen at the outset of the season. Manager Dave Roberts recently suggested the team was open to — but not set on — carrying a third left-handed relief pitcher.
Bruihl hasn’t allowed a run in three of five appearances this spring, but had one game where he failed to record an out and it’s resulted in an inflated 10.80 ERA.
Freitas took advantage of increased opportunities behind the plate when Austin Barnes and Will Smith left camp to participate in the World Baseball Classic. He recently produced a five-game hitting streak and overall is batting .400/.500/.467 with one double, two RBI and two walks.
Hernández had seemingly been in the running to take Gavin Lux’s spot on the Opening Day roster, but the Dodgers now figure to be deciding between Steven Duggar, James Outman and Bradley Zimmer. Fellow non-roster invitee Jason Heyward has all but formally secured a spot with the team to begin the season.
Hernández offers plenty of defensive versatility but cooled at the plate after a hot start to the spring.
Mazeika has three hits in 10 games thus far and figured to play even more sparingly moving forward now that Barnes and Smith have returned from the WBC.
Ward leads the Dodgers in 20 Cactus League games played, but only six of those have been a start.
Dodgers Spring Training roster
The Dodgers Spring Training roster now is at 42 players (22 pitchers; 20 position players), though that includes Daniel Hudson, Gavin Lux and Alex Reyes, each of whom are injured. Lux is going to miss the entire 2023 season after having surgery for a torn ACL and LCL in his right knee.
Hudson won’t make the Dodgers Opening Day roster and instead begin the season on the 15-day injured list. Reyes isn’t expected to return from right shoulder surgery until multiple months into the season.
The number of Dodgers non-roster invitees to Spring Training remaining in camp are three pitchers and seven position players.
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