Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Names His Final Bench Piece for Opening Day Roster
Dave Roberts made the right call. The front office made the right call. If the Dodgers didn't make the right call, there might have been an uprising on Twitter. On Thursday morning in Glendale, Arizona, Dave Roberts named the player who will get the final spot on the opening day roster.
James Outman is getting the nod.
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic was among those to share the news.
Outman, who made his MLB debut last season, will be making the opening day roster for the first time in his career. There was certainly some handwringing that went into this decision as the Dodgers absolutely love veteran ballplayers trying to reestablish themselves. With that, there was some consideration given to non-roster guys like Bradley Zimmer and Luke Williams. But, with Outman, he has nothing left to prove at the minor league level. It was time to see what's all about.
Now, whether he'll be a bench piece or start 4 or 5 games per week is the next question mark. If he's not starting, then the team may be stunting his growth. The hope is that he's in center field on opening day or at least the second game of the season and he's given a runway to succeed as a big leaguer.
LA has gone the rookie route in the past, most recently with Gavin Lux who took some time to get his feet under him. Outman was on fire over the first few weeks of spring but has cooled off some recently. But, news like this has to be reassuring for the budding star.
Congratulations to James on the well deserved news.
