Thursday, October 22

Welcome back to the Dodgers Beat newsletter!

LOS ANGELES -- Opening Day is here at last, and before we get our first look at the Dodgers in regular-season action, I wanted to answer some of your questions in a mailbag. 

Thanks to everyone who participated, and for those whose questions I didn't get to, I'll be doing mailbags regularly during the season. Let's get into it:

Why did the Dodgers pick Alex Freeland over Hyeseong Kim for the Opening Day roster? -- Trevor T. from Thousand Oaks

MLB.com's Courtney Hollmon covered this roster development while I had a few days off, but I had the idea that this was a real possibility ahead of time -- and I was nearly as surprised as many of you were.

Kim recorded better spring stats, slashing .407/.448/.519 with one walk and eight strikeouts in nine games, while Freeland had a .125/.302/.229 line with 13 walks and 11 strikeouts in 20 games. The Dodgers didn't only consider spring performance while making this decision. The underlying metrics showed that Freeland was generally making better swing decisions, and from the eye test, Kim still looked a little out of sync in his swing.

Whoever made the Opening Day roster was not going to be playing every day, so the Dodgers essentially had to weigh who would benefit more from daily repetitions with Triple-A Oklahoma City. They decided Kim needed it more than Freeland. Similar to the decision to have River Ryan and Kyle Hurt begin the season in the Minors, this is about sending Kim down for the short term so that he can build a foundation for long-term success in the Majors.

The Dodgers have talked about two things: 1) Get Freddie Freeman more rest, and 2) Find more at-bats for Dalton Rushing. I know that Freddie wants to play every game. Do you think he would be open to letting Rushing come in as a later-inning replacement for some games? Would that even be enough consistency to make a difference for Rushing? -- Bruce K. from Culver City

As much as Freeman would like to play all 162 games, it would be pretty surprising if that actually happens. Rushing should get some starts at first base, but I also think that getting him into games to get Freeman off his feet a little early could be a nice compromise all around.

More playing time is always helpful, but as things stand, Rushing still needs to figure out how to be productive with the opportunities he has. He's adjusted the setup and timing of his swing, which he is hoping will result in a more repeatable approach at the plate. His spring performance was a bit of a mixed bag as he worked through those adjustments (.205/.321/.432 slash line), so we'll have to see how it translates to the regular season.

If our starters stay healthy, what role do you see for Kiké Hernández when he gets back? -- Gary L. from Grass Valley

I see Hernández's role being similar to last year: He won't play every day in the regular season, but the Dodgers will find a way to get him into the lineup in the postseason. He and Tommy Edman could be back from the injured list around the same time -- late May -- and while we don't know exactly how the active roster will look at that point, their returns could have the biggest impact on Santiago Espinal.

Espinal is out of Minor League options, so if he's healthy and performing well when Hernández and/or Edman come back, then the Dodgers could look to keep him on their roster at the expense of a player in a similar role who does have options. If Espinal's not playing well, then it might not be a very tough decision.

Which Dodgers prospects do you think we will see make their Major League debuts at some point this season? -- Sara M. from North Hollywood

Prospects on the 40-man roster are only a call away from the big leagues, so we're likely to see lefty reliever Ronan Kopp and outfielder Ryan Ward (MLB Pipeline's No. 20 Dodgers prospect) at some point. Outfielders James Tibbs III (No. 11) and Zach Ehrhard (No. 18) could become viable candidates to join the Dodgers once they get some Triple-A experience.

I'll throw in one unranked non-rostered pick: righty reliever Chris Campos outlasted most other non-roster invitees in big league camp, so I would not be surprised if he is with the Dodgers at some point this year.

• Here's everything you need to know about tonight's Diamondbacks-Dodgers Opening Day matchup. More >>

• Aside from the Freeland-Kim decision, there were no real surprises on the Dodgers' Opening Day roster. More >>

• The UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium era is here. More >>

When I surveyed my newsletter readers in the offseason, I got requests to include more information about the Dodgers' upcoming opponents. I'll look to include this section before every series. First up, here are a few notable things to know about the D-backs:

• Pitching matchups: RHP Zac Gallen vs. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Thursday, RHP Ryne Nelson vs. RHP Emmet Sheehan on Friday and LHP Eduardo Rodriguez vs. RHP Tyler Glasnow on Saturday

• D-backs' injuries of note: Merrill Kelly, who was originally going to be the Opening Day starter, will start the season on the IL. Several bullpen arms, including A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez, are also sidelined. Outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is out for the beginning of the season as well. 

• Odds and ends: The D-backs' season-opening bullpen is entirely right-handed. That could be fortuitous for the Dodgers, who have impact left-handed bats up and down their lineup.

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