NL Central Squad Claims Recently DFA’d Dodgers Infielder

Amed Rosario was dealt a bad hand.

The Los Angeles Dodgers targeted him at the trade deadline but a roster crunch forced him out of a job.

Luckily, the Cincinnati Reds claimed the utility man on Sunday.

Rosario has a .305 batting average this season and has shined against left-handed pitching. There wasn’t a path to playing time for him in Los Angeles, with the return of Mookie Betts to the outfield and the hot streaks of Gavin Lux and Kiké Hernandez in the infield.

Rosario faces another tough path with the Reds for playing time. Reds Manager David Bell already has 10 players looking to get into the lineup against left-handed pitching, including Stuart Fairchild, Noelvi Marte, Santiago Espinal, and Ty France.

As Cincinnati continues to fight for a postseason berth — they’re six games back of the third and final wild card berth, the fringe of a six-team race — signing a veteran with playoff experience is as good a reason as any to add to a roster.

Rosario is on a one-year deal and will become a free agent after this season.

After coming to Los Angeles in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays for a second straight season, Rosario appeared in five games for the Dodgers and hit for a .273 batting average with a .333 on-base percentage and .697 slugging percentage, with two runs batted in across 12 plate appearances.

Between the Rays and the Dodgers, he hit .307 with two home runs and 28 RBIs. Throughout the season, he’s played right field, second base, third base, and shortstop.

For the Reds, Rosario could offer an alternative to Marte at third base. He has struggled to find his way with a .181/.217/.292 slash line in 40 games since returning from an 81-game PED suspension earlier this year.

As for the Dodgers, Tommy Edman and Max Muncy are expected to return to the active roster this week. Edman was a trade deadline acquisition from the St. Louis Cardinals and serves a similar role as Rosario. Utility man Chris Taylor is also due back from the injured list soon which will force the Dodgers to make more roster decisions.

Rosario is only making $1.5 million this season, so adding the salary to the ledger is no big deal.

Photo Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, livestreams, and more!