Dodgers Offseason: What Numbers Will New LA Players Wear in 2023?
The Dodgers didn't go crazy this offseason, losing more players than they brought in, but they still have a handful of new players coming in who will need uniform numbers. What numbers will they wear? Will they have to fight for them? Let's look at what we know and what we can guess.
J.P Feyereisen — 45
Feyereisen will miss most of the 2023 season, but he'll hopefully be back for the stretch run and has several years of team control remaining. The righty wore number 54 with the Brewers and number 34 with the Rays, but he's listed as 45 on the LA roster. Number 34 obviously isn't available, and maybe he was never attached to 54. Number 45 was last worn by Reyes Moronta last year.
Shelby Miller — 18
Miller has work seven different uniform numbers in his 10-year career, so he's obviously not tied to any specific digits. He wore number 18 last year with the Giants, and it appears he'll be wearing the same number again with Los Angeles this year.
Noah Syndergaard — 43
Syndergaard wore 34 with the Mets and Angels, then he switched to 43 when he went to the Phillies, who have retired 34 in honor of Roy Halladay. In an online press conference with the media after he signed with LA, Syndergaard said he'd be wearing 43 with the Dodgers, although the team's official roster site currently lists him as 34. Number 34, of course, hasn't been issued since Fernando Valenzuela, and it will likely eventually be officially retired, so it's probably (hopefully) a typo on the team site.
Yonny Hernandez — 60
Hernandez wore number 65 with the Rangers and 19 with the Diamondbacks, but LA's roster site has him listed as number 60. That could be an auto-assigned number, as Hernandez doesn't have the seniority to really have much say in his number. If he makes the Opening Day roster, he might be allowed to choose a lower number.
Miguel Rojas — 11
Okay, this makes us feel better about Syndergaard being listed as 34, because Rojas is currently listed as number 19, which is retired by LA in honor of the late Jim Gilliam. Rojas wore number 19 with the Marlins, but he switched to 11 last year to honor his grandfather, and he indicated on social media last week that he'd be wearing 11 in Los Angeles, too.
Jason Heyward — 23
Heyward has worn 22 throughout his career, but it's currently and forever occupied by future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. He showed a photo of his locker at Dodger Stadium a couple weeks ago, which showed number 23 on the nameplate. Some big stars have worn 23 for the Dodgers, including Adrian Gonzalez, Eric Karros, Kirk Gibson, and Claude Osteen.
JD Martinez — 28
Martinez has worn 28 for the majority of his career, and it's available in Los Angeles with the departure of Andrew Heaney, so he'll continue to wear that number.
There are also a handful of players who aren't new to the franchise but could choose lower numbers as they become regulars, including Miguel Vargas (71 last year), James Outman (77), Andre Jackson (94), and Michael Grove (78).
