Three big roster decisions remain for LA

The Dodgers’ Opening Day roster is starting to take shape, but there’s still some work to do before the team boards its flight to Colorado on Wednesday.

One thing we do know, is that the Dodgers’ plan is to start the season with 13 position players and 13 pitchers. With Jimmy Nelson officially making the roster as a non-roster invitee after an impressive spring, it appears the Dodgers have 12 pitchers locked in, with one spot left to be filled. The same applies on the position player side, as the Dodgers have one bench spot left to be claimed.

Then there’s the battle for the fifth starting spot, which is among the best “problems” for a team to have.

The Dodgers would like to make their final roster decisions over the next 48 hours. Let’s take a look at where each of those three decisions stand with just two games left of Spring Training.

Fifth starter
There are 29 other teams that would be salivating over the idea of having Tony Gonsolin in their rotation. Or Dustin May. Or David Price. But the Dodgers, with a surplus of starting pitching options, will have to decide which one of those three will be their fifth starter, and which two will come out of the bullpen.

Price was scheduled to start Sunday against the Angels, but was a late scratch because he wasn’t feeling well. The Dodgers are hoping Price feels good enough to pitch in a simulated game on Monday at Dodger Stadium. Scratching Price allowed Gonsolin to make his second start of the spring. May, meanwhile, is scheduled to start Tuesday in the Freeway Series finale against the Angels.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said a staff meeting is planned for after Monday's simulated game, and he hopes to make a decision soon.

Last bench spot
The Dodgers reassigned Andy Burns, Elliot Soto and Stevie Berman. Those moves cut down the spring roster to 32 players, but only 13 of those are position players. If the Dodgers do start the season with 13 players, it appears Zach McKinstry has made the roster as the team’s second utility man.

“That’s good math,” Roberts said, when a reporter told him there are only 13 position players on the roster following the roster cuts.

That is good math, indeed. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that McKinstry has made the team ... at least not yet. McKinstry certainly did everything to make the team this spring, showing off his impressive versatility both in the outfield and infield. With the Dodgers looking to replace Enrique Hernández, McKinstry seems like the logical fit. But with lefties Edwin Ríos and Matt Beaty already on the bench, the Dodgers could shop around for a right-handed bat. As of now, the team is open to the idea of adding a right-handed bench bat, but isn't necessarily active on the market in pursuit of one. If the Dodgers stand pat, it’ll be McKinstry on the roster.

Last bullpen spot
We know Nelson will be on the roster and we know that Brusdar Graterol and Joe Kelly will both begin the season on the injured list. We also know that the two starters who don’t win the fifth spot in the rotation will start the year in the bullpen. That leaves one open spot on the roster for a reliever.

With the players remaining in camp, the last spot will be decided between right-hander Dennis Santana and left-hander Scott Alexander. Both pitchers have been solid this spring and the decision will likely be based on the team’s preference. Santana’s ability to pitch multiple innings could come into play, especially with the first four games of the season taking place at Coors Field.

It was at Coors Field in 2018 when Santana made his Major League debut, coming out of the bullpen to replace Alexander, coincidentally, and throwing 3 2/3 innings of relief to qualify for the victory in the Dodgers' 11-8 win.