Dodgers’ Biggest Red Flags Early in 2024 Season
Dodgers’ Biggest Red Flags Early in 2024 Season0 of 3
Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the season with what appeared to be a juggernaut roster after a free-spending offseason where they added Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, among other outside additions.
They are off to a strong start with a 5.5-game lead in the NL West standings entering play on Wednesday, but they are far from invincible as evidenced by the five-game losing streak they just snapped by winning both ends of a double header on Tuesday.
A lack of production from their outfielders, a wave of injuries to an already depleted stable of starting pitchers and a lack of production from the second base position are among the biggest holes that have emerged over the first two months of the season.
Let’s take a closer look at those three notable red flags.
A Lack of Production from the Outfield1 of 3
Adam Hunger/Getty Images
The addition of slugger Teoscar Hernández on a one-year, $23.5 million deal has given the Dodgers at least one productive member of the outfield contingent, as he sports a 132 OPS+ with 11 doubles, 12 home runs and 38 RBI in 57 games.
However, the rest of the team’s outfield options have left a lot to be desired:
Andy Pages: 152 PA, 84 OPS+, .232 BA, 12 XBH (5 HR)Enrique Hernandez: 125 PA, 54 OPS+, .193 BA, 4 XBH (3 HR)James Outman: 124 PA, 48 OPS+, .147 BA, 7 XBH (3 HR)Chris Taylor: 86 PA, 3 OPS+, .110 BA, 1 XBH (0 HR)Jason Heyward: 42 PA, 44 OPS+, .184 BA, 1 XBH (1 HR)Pages looked like a potential long-term solution when he hit .339/.357/.600 with five doubles, four home runs and 12 RBI in his first 16 games, but that production has plummeted to a .143/.183/.208 line in 82 plate appearances since that hot start.
Meanwhile, Outman was optioned to the minors when Heyward was activated from the injured list as he looks to get his season on track.
Diminished Starting Pitching Depth2 of 3
Emmet SheehanBrian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Dodgers entered the season with a banged up starting rotation, waiting on Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler to return from injury while Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin continued their recovery from Tommy John surgery.
While Buehler has returned to action, the Dodgers have also lost Emmet Sheehan for the year to Tommy John surgery, while Bobby Miller and Kyle Hurt have joined him on the injured list with shoulder inflammation.
That leaves a rotation of Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Gavin Stone, James Paxton and Buehler, but what used to be impressive starting pitching depth overall has suddenly dwindled to Landon Knack as the only real option waiting in the wings as a depth piece.
Kershaw is expected to return at some point this summer and Miller has kicked off a rehab assignment, but it still feels like the starting pitching depth has become more of a question mark.
A Glaring Hole at Second Base3 of 3
Gavin LuxBrandon Sloter/Getty Images
A healthy Gavin Lux was supposed to give the Dodgers a major boost after he missed the entire 2023 season recovering from a torn ACL he suffered during spring training.
Instead, he has been the weak link in the lineup.
The 26-year-old is hitting .205/.256/.281 for a 54 OPS+ in 156 plate appearances, and even with the handful of starts that Mookie Betts has made at the position, the Dodgers still rank near the bottom of the league in production by their second basemen.
They rank 23rd in batting average (.223) and 26th in OPS (.611) at the position, and they might now need to prioritize an upgrade at a position that was expected to be rock solid.
