:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/29460143/20140303_ajl_ib2_026.0.jpg)
PHOENIX -- If Rule 5 pick Seth Rosin continues to impress, as he did again on Monday, he could find himself in the Dodgers bullpen at least for those two opening games.
Rosin pitched three scoreless innings against the Athletics on Monday, with three strikeouts. So far in the Cactus League, Rosin has eight strikeouts and four hits allowed in five scoreless innings, with no walks.
"He keeps throwing strikes," said manager Don Mattingly.
Again, we're just two appearances in here. But given the Dodgers' truncated spring and unusual roster situation, coupled with his Rule 5 status, he provides an interesting case for roster thoughts.
If Rosin doesn't make the club they would have to designate him for assignment, removing him from the 40-man roster and, if they don't trade him, exposing him to waivers. If he clears waivers, the Dodgers would then have to offer Rosin back to the Phillies, the team he was drafted from, for $25,000, half of the fee paid to draft him (the Mets actually drafted Rosin from Philadelphia, then traded him to the Dodgers for cash considerations).
The Dodgers have to submit a 28-man opening day roster to MLB by 7 p.m. PT on Friday, March 21, six hours before their opening game against the Diamondbacks in Australia. Three of the 28 names, which must be designated simultaneously with the roster submission, are ineligible to play in those two games. These will people likely left behind in Arizona to continue to work in minor league games but not on the disabled list, with candidates like Zack Greinke and Josh Beckett, to name two.
This potentially opens up a spot for an extra relief pitcher or two, at least for those two games in Australia. The Dodgers do have to cut down to a normal 25-man roster by March 30, the date of their first game in the U.S., against the Padres in San Diego.
If Rosin continues to impress and the Dodgers aren't ready to give him back once their Cactus League schedule ends on March 16, don't be surprised if he finds his way to Australia, and maybe for even longer.