Dodgers finalize opening day roster: Charlie Culberson, Trayce Thompson, Austin Barnes, Louis Coleman earn spots

ANAHEIM -- The Dodgers finalized their 25-man opening day roster after Saturday night's game against the Angels, with a flurry of roster moves. The final few spots went to catcher Austin Barnes, outfielder Trayce Thompson, non-roster infielder Charlie Culberson and relief pitcher Louis Coleman.

The roster will be finalized on Sunday morning, with the club reassigning Rob Segedin to minor league camp, and optioning Luis Avilan and Josh Ravin to the minors.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Culberson, the Dodgers will need to place someone on the 60-day disabled list, of which they have several candidates.

Culberson hit .308/.379/.508 during the spring and played shortstop, second base and third base. He does have one option year remaining, having used options in 2012 and 2013. His option in 2014 did not last 20 days and does not count as an optional assignment.

Two of the position player spots may be for a short stay, as both catcher Yasmani Grandal and infielder Howie Kendrick are expected to be ready by the home opener after missing the first week of the season. Both will be placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 25.

Barnes, with his ability to play both second and third base in addition to catcher, might stick around after Grandal returns, giving the Dodgers three catchers on the active roster.

"It's something early on in camp we thought about," Roberts said Saturday. "Things always have a way of working themselves out, and depending on how the roster looks at that point and time we'll make that decision."

Roberts said through the first road trip A.J. Ellis would likely catch four of the games, with Barnes catching the other three.

Thompson fills a role with the ability to play all three outfield spots defensively, especially needed with Ethier out with a broken leg and the relatively fragile Carl Crawford likely getting the bulk of the time in left field. Thompson, acquired from the White Sox in December, played nearly every day this spring and led the team with 77 plate appearances, though he hit just .216/.247/.405.

"He's logged a lot of at-bats this spring, and I have had a lot of different roles. I wanted to put him in different situations. He's a dynamic player," Roberts said Thursday. "The numbers really don't speak to the quality of at-bats he has had this spring. Trayce has piqued our curiosity, and he's ready to play in the big leagues."

Coleman was signed just as camp began, a surprise release from the Royals in February. With no options remaining and a strong spring under his belt — a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings, with no walks and 12 strikeouts — Coleman was an easy choice to make really, though it does leave the Dodgers with just one left-handed pitcher in the bullpen.

"I have been part of the Royals, who have had the best bullpen the last three to four years, and I was able to crack it every now and then," Coleman said earlier in camp. "If I can get into that one, I can get into a lot of bullpens."

Avilan had a 10.13 ERA in 10 games, allowing 12 runs on 16 hits, including three home runs in eight innings.

"Louis Coleman has thrown the ball really well, and for Luis it's good to go down and get left-handers out. I expect him to throw big innings for us this year," Roberts said. "Avilan just wasn't executing. His sinker wasn't moving as well as he was used to, and I think Arizona has a little bit to do with that, for sure."

The roster will be finalized on Sunday, but will look like this:

Starting pitchers (5): Kershaw, Kazmir, Maeda, Wood, Stripling

Relief pitchers (7): Jansen, Hatcher, Baez, Garcia, Howell, Blanton, Coleman

Catchers (2): Ellis, Barnes

Infielders (6): Gonzalez, Utley, Seager, Turner, Culberson, Hernandez

Outfielders (5): Crawford, Van Slyke, Pederson, Puig, Thompson