2016 Dodgers review: Shawn Zarraga

Shawn Zarraga has yet to play in a major league game but has every right to call himself a major leaguer thanks to his 2016 stint with the Dodgers.

What went right

Zarraga, who was a non-roster invitee in Dodgers big league camp for a second straight season, went back and forth between the Dodgers’ two minor league teams in Oklahoma, with five different stints in Triple-A Oklahoma City and four trips to Double-A Tulsa.

The switch-hitting catcher hit .306/.384/.388 with seven doubles in 27 games in Double-A.

Zarraga hit better from the left side, batting .268/.345/.330 in 110 plate appearances.

The 27-year-old was in the right place at the right time on Aug. 25, when the Dodgers needed a fill-in backup catcher in between the time they traded A.J. Ellis and when Carlos Ruiz arrived from Philadelphia. Zarraga was called up for one game, but did not play.

What went wrong

Zarraga missed over two months with a concussion sustained on April 14 in Memphis while with Triple-A.

He hit .167/.226/.208 in 19 games and 53 plate appearances with Oklahoma City, and on the season hit .222/.286/.306 in 42 plate appearances as a right-handed batter.

The Dodgers designated Zarraga for assignment on Aug. 26, removing him from the 40-man roster, then sent him outright to Triple-A on Aug. 28.

2016 particulars

Age: 27

Stats: .256/.329/.323, 9 doubles in 46 games & 152 PA in Double-A & Triple-A

Salary: $507,500, pro-rated for his one day of major league service time, earning roughly $2,773.

Game of the year

He didn’t play, but Aug. 25 was Zarraga’s only day in the majors and he enjoyed every minute of it.

Roster status

Zarraga was a minor league free agent at the end of the season, and signed a minor league deal with the Reds with a non-roster invitation to spring training.