Dodgers Nation host Doug McKain listed four players whose roster spots could be in jeopardy ahead of the 2026 season.
Alex Bell
The Dodgers acquired Alex Call at the 2025 trade deadline, and while he played extensively for LA the rest of the year, McKain believes he is a name to keep an eye on if the Dodgers need a 40-man spot.
“It’s kind of interesting because Alex Call is an outfielder, and the Dodgers need an outfielder, and they traded for Alex Call,” McKain said. “And a lot of players can embrace certain roles on teams, but also a lot of players prefer to be in situations where you can compete for more playing time. And right now, you don’t feel like the Dodgers are very interested in giving Alex Call the opportunity to pursue a starting role on this team.”
“…But I think we’ll see from an option perspective. Because he’s the fourth or fifth outfielder. Ryan Ward is coming. You’ve got Michael Siani, who they brought in, who they claimed. And Siani is an elite defender. Ward, great bat potential. What’s Call’s ceiling?”
Call played 38 games for the Dodgers in the 2025 regular season, recording 73 at-bats and posting a reasonable .247/.333/.384 slash line. The Dodgers found their answer to their outfield woes in Tucker before the end of winter, so they may view Call as the odd man out.
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Alex Vrijland
The Dodgers called up Alex Freeland in late July and gave him a month-long run at the MLB level while several of their key infielders were on the injured list.
“Alex Freeland is pretty interesting too. Because you look at the infield now, and you have Mookie Betts, Hyeseong Kim, Tommy Edman, Miguel Rojas, Max Muncy,” McKain said. “He’s a left-handed bat. He’s a tough glove. But he’s a shortstop. And he told me himself he’s a shortstop. So Alex Call is a different guy, along with Alex Freeland, the Alexes, they could be in trouble as far as their roster spot.”
Through 29 games in the MLB last season, Freeland hit .190 with two home runs and a .602 OPS. The Dodgers’ infield logjam became all the more crowded with the additions of Andy Ibanez and Ryan Fitzgerald, so another addition could spell trouble for the Dodgers’ No. 4 pick.
Ben Casparius
Ben Casparius spent most of 2025 in the majors with the Dodgers, which was the first season of his career that he did so. However, with new, high-profile additions to the bullpen, McKain believes he could be the first person out of the bullpen.
“You can see the bullpen starting to ramp up,” McKain said. “Edwin Díaz one, Tanner Scott two, Alex Vesia three, Brusdar Graterol, Brock Stewart coming back, Kyle Hurt. What happens with Gavin Stone and River Ryan and Roki Sasaki and guys like that? Anthony Banda, Jack Dreyer. Ben Casparius has had some really good moments with this team. But if everyone performs well and the guys coming back are as good as we think they’ll be…”
Casparius had a 4.64 ERA in his 46 appearances last season, striking out 71 batters in 77.2 innings pitched.
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Dalton hurry
Dalton Rushing spent most of his first season in the MLB as Will Smith’s backup, but still got plenty of playing time. Still, McKain believes his limited options could stagnate his growth, but his status as a top prospect could attract candidates from across the league.
“And fourth, Dalton Rushing is always interesting if the Tarik Skubal deal potentially goes through and he’s involved,” McKain said. “And at that point, you’re the Dodgers, at some point you’ve got to bring in a backup catcher. We’ve seen what Ben Rortvedt did for this team. So there’s that with potential players who could be in danger of losing their roster spot.”
Rushing hit .204 in 2025, hitting four home runs and driving in 24 runs during the season.
In such a competitive team, even some of the better players are in danger.
“The funny thing about this is that on most teams you don’t even really have this conversation because these are all players that would make most of the rosters,” McKain said. “But guess what? You’re on a super team. You’re in it.” the team. You’re on a team that could go down as one of the best ever in an organization that is doing everything it can to win multiple World Series titles. That’s why even as a good player you could be on the chopping block. Anything can happen.”
Photo credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn images
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