On Sunday Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti was interviewed on Sirius XM Radio and told the show's host Jim Bowden that the team will be calling up middle infielder Alex Guerrero from Triple-A. Will Hanley Ramirez be moved to third base?
The Dodgers signed Guerrero last October to a four-year, $28 million deal and he's spent most of his time in Triple-A Albuquerque. The 27-year-old has posted a .308 batting average with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs while playing a number of positions: shortstop (his primary spot before being signed, but only four games in the minors), second base (43 games), third base (1), and the outfield (14).
Los Angeles was originally planning to call up Guerrero and put him at second base, but the team has been satisfied with Dee Gordon's performance this year (.288 average and 56 stole bases). But now that Colletti says Guerrero will be joining the Dodgers on September 1, where will the team have room for him? There's no way they intend on using him in the outfield because they're also calling up prospect Joc Pederson (.301 average with 30 home runs, 68 RBIs and 28 stolen bases in Triple-A) to join an already crowded group (Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier and Yasiel Puig).
So if they're using him in the middle infield, who will they move? Luckily, the team has versatile players. Dee Gordon has experience at both second base and shortstop (played SS from '11-'13 and then 2B for '14) and Hanley Ramirez ended up gaining experience at third base (90 games) when the Miami Marlins signed Jose Reyes back in 2012. Ramirez was then traded to the Dodgers and played only eight games at third base, but he still has the experience.
So if the team wants to make room for Guerrero, they're likely going to have to shift Ramirez to third (once he returns from the disabled list) and then they'll have flexibility with Guerrero and Dee Gordon at shortstop/second base. And if one of them were to have the night off, Ramirez could shift back to shortstop if need be. This is seemingly the best option for the team as they hope to give their young star experience.
But this might not even be that big an issue because the Dodgers tabled contract talks with Ramirez and he's scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the season. They can either chase Ramirez as a third baseman in free agency, work with someone already on the roster, or seek services from someone else if Guerrero ends up looking like a good option for the middle infield.
