Ryan Ward

Ward was talked up by general manager Brandon Gomes at the GM Meetings in November, and while the lefty-hitting outfielder is entering his age-28 season and carries little dynasty intrigue, he enters the year one injury away from a shot. Despite his age, the 5-foot-10, 200-pound Ward hasn't reached the majors since getting selected in the eighth round of the 2019 draft. He slashed .290/.380/.557 with 36 homers, 16 steals and an 18.7 percent strikeout rate in 143 games in the Pacific Coast League, but in those cartoonish hitting environments, this only translates to a 132 wRC+, which should be expected of a bat-first player his age at Triple-A. The Dodgers went on to sign Kyle Tucker after Gomes' comments, but if Tommy Edman plays mostly second base and Mookie Betts plays shortstop, that would leave righty-hitting Alex Call as the only other outfielder on the 40-man roster outside of starters Tucker, Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernandez. Ward and Call could form a productive platoon in the event of an injury. Read Past Outlooks