Before losing the rubber match to the New York Mets, the Los Angeles Dodgers placed Miguel Rojas on the injured list. Rojas was added to the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. Since Gavin Lux‘s season-ending injury, the shortstop position has been the biggest unanswered question for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers depth is being questioned early in the season. The other option on the 40-man, Chris Taylor, is also injured, leaving Luke Williams and Yonny Hernandez as their last hope. Let’s not even mention Mookie Betts slotting into the position after he returns from paternity leave.
Moving Betts to the shortstop position should not be considered an option. The co-captain of the team should focus on excelling as a right-field player utilizing his offensive skills. While he can be moved to second base occasionally, adding another position for him to worry about would only distract him from becoming the best hitter he can be.
What are some of the other options the Dodgers have to improve their shortstop position?
Three Options to Address the Dodgers Shortstop Depth
Trade
Willy Adames is in the last year of his contract with the Milwaukee Brewers and his name is constantly being mentioned as a potential trade target. However, the Brewers are leading the division at the moment. Although the St. Louis Cardinals are currently struggling, I don’t think they will continue to underperform for long, and I can see them gaining ground and overtaking the Brewers to lead the NL Central division.
That is my hope because I would love to see Willy Adames in Dodger blue. He is a superb defensive shortstop who can hit better than the Dodgers current shortstop current options at the position.
Wait on Rojas’ Health and Rely on Others for Offense
Miguel Rojas was never intended to replace Trea Turner’s offense. The Dodgers traded for him to serve as Gavin Lux’s back. However, due to Lux’s injury, Rojas became the number one option at shortstop, with Chris Taylor serving as his backup.
Currently, both Taylor and Rojas have a batting average of .125. However, it’s still early in the season, and many bats are as cold as the weather can be in different parts of the country. The Dodgers can afford to wait for these players’ bats to heat up and rely on Miguel Rojas’ defensive skills in the meantime.
Given his Gold Glove ability at shortstop, Rojas is the perfect candidate to bat ninth. Prioritizing a player’s defensive abilities over their offensive numbers is a sound strategy, and the Dodgers have done it before, as they did with Bellinger for the last two seasons.
Building Gavin Lux a New Leg For Him To Play With
This is an absurd idea that was added as a joke because there are no other reasonable options for the Dodgers’ shortstop position. Waiting for Rojas to recover from his injury is the safest and most logical option for the Dodgers to pursue.
Given the Dodgers desperate need for a shortstop, the demand for one could lead to an inflated price in any trade. However, there may be only one trade that is truly worth overpaying for.
If it wasn’t evident enough, I was referring to Shohei Ohtani. Trading for Ohtani is the only player worth trading all the prospects for. At that point, add Miguel Rojas to that trade and have Mookie Betts play shortstop.
Main Image: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
