Alfredo Amezaga gets non-roster invitation from Dodgers, per report

The Dodgers have reportedly signed Alfredo Amezaga to a minor-league contract with a non-roster invitation to spring training, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

Amezaga, who turns 35 on Jan. 16, hit .274/.336/.372 in 113 games for Triple-A Iowa in the Cubs' system in 2012.

It is the second time in four seasons that Amezaga has joined the Dodgers as a non-roster player. In 2010 Amezaga opened camp with the big club, but injuries to his back and right patella tendon limited him to a single game played for Double-A Chattanooga that year. This followed a year in 2009 in which he had microfracture surgery on his left knee.

Amezaga has long been a versatile player and 2012 was no different, as he played second base, shortstop, third base, left field, and right field for Iowa in 2012. But we are talking about someone with 40 major league games played in the last three seasons, all in 2011, though he is coming off his first healthy season in some time.

His best years came in Florida from 2006-2008, when he hit .262/.323/.352, a 77 OPS+ over three seasons, and provided solid defense up the middle at multiple positions for the Marlins.

Amezaga is a switch hitter in name only, as he is a career .197/.245/.251 hitter from the right side. Given the presence of utility men Skip Schumaker, Jerry Hairston Jr., and Nick Punto currently on the Dodgers bench, it's hard to see room for Amezaga on the big league roster. But if healthy, Amezaga could be someone useful to have around in Triple-A.