The Los Angeles Dodgers announced outfielder Andrew Toles was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to begin the season. With Toles no longer in the picture, that means that the final two 25-man roster spots will go to Kyle Farmer and Joc Pederson when the Dodgers officially announce their Opening Day roster.
Toles is coming off season-ending knee surgery, so the reason he was sent to the Minors wasn’t necessarily performance-based. By joining Oklahoma City, Toles can get at-bats every day, which wouldn’t have happened at the big league level with Matt Kemp also occupying left field.
As Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pointed out, Toles did not make it easy on the organization considering his strong showing in Spring Training. Over 25 games, Toles hit .283/.286/.566 with three home runs, 10 RBI and two stolen bases.
Toles outperformed Pederson, who batted .148/.246/.259 with just one home run in 21 games. Pederson has a longer track record in the Majors, however, and coming off a strong 2017 World Series, the Dodgers opted to go with his experience.
Additionally, Pederson is a superior defender to Toles, so with Kemp receiving plenty of starts in left field, it makes more sense to carry Pederson as a bench player to use as a defensive replacement late in games.
Farmer, who will serve as the team’s third catcher and could also see some time at third base, was rewarded for a strong spring as he hit .333/.426/.692 with three home runs and nine RBI.
While Toles won’t be on the Opening Day roster, he will surely get an opportunity at the Major League level in 2018 as soon as the front office feels he has garnered enough game at-bats to be ready.
