Justin Turner’s unfortunate wrist fracture has created opportunities for players on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ roster bubble as Opening Day looms just one week away.
Among those that will get a closer look is Kyle Farmer, who is currently third on the catcher depth chart behind Yasmani Grandal and Austin Barnes. With Logan Forsythe shifting to third base in Turner’s absence, Barnes, Kiké Hernandez and Chase Utley could see an increased workload at second base.
How much Barnes plays the infield will presumably depend on Farmer’s potential inclusion on the roster. Having Farmer with the club will allow Barnes more playing time in the infield, rather than being kept on the bench on days where he doesn’t start behind the plate.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is on board with that possibility, as he revealed Farmer is under consideration for a spot on the Opening Day roster, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
A productive Spring Training, plus one bad break, has put Kyle Farmer “really in the mix” for an Opening Day roster spot, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Tuesday.
Roberts noted Farmer’s excellent showing at the plate and went on to praise his defensive versatility and comfortability with a pair of relievers:
“He’s had a great spring and his ability to conduct an at-bat off the bench, to catch and play third base, obviously there’s added value with Justin [out],” Roberts said. “He’s comfortable at third base, and I wanted somebody who could catch [Wilmer] Font and [Scott] Alexander.”
A new offseason program helped improve Farmer’s mechanics behind the plate, and it in turn has led to more production in the batter’s box as well.
Farmer has torn the cover off the ball this spring, as evidenced by his .394/.475/.818 hitting line over 33 at-bats. What’s more, he has tallied five doubles and three home runs during Cactus League play, with nine RBI to boot.
Farmer’s ability to play third base further increases his chances of breaking camp with the Dodgers, as the club strongly values positional flexibility and takes advantage of shifting players to different positions throughout the season.
