As Opening Day inches closer, the Los Angeles Dodgers will have some tough decisions to make in regards to who to carry on their 25-man active roster.
Two names that have come up with plenty of frequency are right-handed pitcher Wilmer Font and outfielder Trayce Thompson. Both players are out of Minor League options so if they are not on the big league roster, then the Dodgers risk losing them on waivers.
Font has struggled a bit this spring but is getting plenty of opportunities to show that he is capable of filling one of the open spots in the bullpen. The uncertainty is related to Tom Koehler’s shoulder injury that could sideline him for upwards of multiple months.
Things get a little more tricky with Thompson, as the Dodgers have several outfielders ahead of him on the depth chart. Thus, barring any moves, it is looking unlikely that he makes the big league roster.
According to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times, with the possibility of losing Thompson from the organization looming, they likely to pursue trade scenarios involving the 27-year-old:
The Dodgers are expected to make outfielder Trayce Thompson available in trade talks.
The Dodgers acquired Thompson is a trade with the Chicago White Sox before the 2016 season. Thompson got off to a strong start that year as he hit 13 home runs in 80 games before going down with a season-ending back injury.
Coming off the injury in 2017, he never could quite get back to his old self. Thompson started off the season a combined 0-for-38 between Triple-A Oklahoma City and the Majors, and wound up spending most of the season with OKC, where hit hit just .212 in 95 games.
As it currently stands, Chris Taylor, Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Andrew Toles, Kiké Hernandez, Joc Pederson and Alex Verdugo are all considered to be ahead of Thompson on the outfield depth chart.
