Minor league games began for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, which meant several coaches switched over from the major league side of camp to the minor league side, and with that shift came a flurry of roster cuts on Sunday. Eight players were trimmed from the Dodgers roster on Sunday, leaving the club with 45 players remaining in camp.
"It just got to the point where there weren't enough at-bats. More and more guys are wanting more innings," manager Don Mattingly said.
Pitchers Matt Chico, Will Savage, Ryan Tucker, catchers Matt Wallach and Gorman Erickson, and infielders Jeff Baisley and Lance Zawadzki were all reassigned to minor league camp on Sunday, while pitcher Alberto Castillo was given his release.
"We didn't see [Castillo] as that guy for us and we didn't see him being that guy in Triple A waiting around either," Mattingly said. "We felt it was fair to him to get him out on the wire, let people take a look and give him the best chance to be in the big leagues with somebody."
On the field, the Dodgers tied the Angels 1-1 on Sunday in a rain-shortened game. The game was called after five and a half innings. Clayton Kershaw makes his third Cactus League start on Monday at Goodyear against the Cleveland Indians, and is scheduled to throw roughly 80-85 pitches.
Relief pitcher Matt Guerrier has been held out of workouts for about a week while nursing a back injury, but Mattingly said his right-hander is feeling better and close to a return. Guerrier will participate in dry work on Monday, throw a bullpen session on Tuesday, pitch in a minor league game on Friday, and could pitch in a major league spring game next Sunday if all goes according to plan.
Jerry Hairston Jr. was out Friday with a tight quad, and was sent home early Saturday with the flu. Hairston returned to workouts on Sunday, and is expected to play Monday in Goodyear.
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