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After they lost Zack Greinke to free agency, the Los Angeles Dodgers went after starting-pitching depth like they were doomsday preppers who could see a pitching apocalypse on the horizon.

But in recent weeks, the Dodgers’ depth has eroded to a point where I feel obligated to propose a solution to the problem. In 10 easy letters, here it is: Jose De Leon.

That’s the name of a 23-year-old right-hander who’s a well-regarded prospect, but who also seems to be on the outside looking in at the race to make the Dodgers rotation. Given the state of things, though, the Dodgers aren’t in a position to let any candidate go unconsidered.

Scott Kazmir is throwing batting-practice fastballs. Brandon McCarthy is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and now Hyun-Jin Ryu’s return from shoulder surgery has hit a snag. Brett Anderson and flame-throwing prospect Frankie Montas came down with injuries that will sideline them for several months. And though it’s supposedly nothing serious, Alex Wood’s forearm stiffness still raises a red flag.

This brings us to a summary of the Dodgers’ starting rotation: It’s almighty ace Clayton Kershaw, Japanese import Kenta Maeda and then a great big pile of “What the hell is going on?!”

In right-handers Brandon Beachy and Mike Bolsinger, the Dodgers do have two decent crutches to lean on. But since Beachy is injury prone and Bolsinger is little more than a swingman, “decent” is as nice as we can be. If the Dodgers want upside behind Kershaw and Maeda, they’ll need to do better.

Hence, De Leon.

This isn’t an idea that we’re conjuring out of thin air. Ken Rosenthal, the Master of Whisperers of Fox Sports, recently suggested that the Dodgers could call on either De Leon or fellow top prospect Julio Urias to help until the injury bug releases its grip on their rotation:

Between these two, it’s Urias who has the sexier name. MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus rate the left-hander as the No. 2 pitching prospect in baseball behind Washington Nationals fireballer Lucas Giolito. Baseball America does one better, naming Urias as the best of baseball’s young arms.

But expecting Urias to break camp with the Dodgers requires hitching one’s wagon to a long shot. He’s still only 19 years old, and the Dodgers made it clear to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times earlier this month that they’re not going to rush him.

If the Dodgers put De Leon in their rotation, however, they won’t be rushing him.

De Leon is four years older than Urias, and he is more ready for a major league workload. Urias has yet to top even 90 innings as a professional, but De Leon pitched 114.1 innings as a 22-year-old last season. That included 76.2 innings in 16 starts at Double-A Tulsa.

And oh yeah, De Leon is also a pretty good talent in his own right.

That much can be seen in the 2.68 ERA he’s racked up over the last two seasons, and it can especially be seen in his strikeout totals. He’s struck out 282 batters in 191.1 innings since the start of the 2014 season, a rate of 13.3 per nine innings.

Before anyone can say “Yeah, but,” there are some fancy-pants projections at Baseball Prospectus (PECOTA) and FanGraphs (ZiPS) that say De Leon’s bat-missing ability could translate to the majors pretty well.

Though the projections differ on how many innings he’ll see in the majors—that part’s hard to predict for prospects—both think he could strike out close to 11 batters per nine innings. In 2015, that was Carlos Carrasco, Chris Archer and Max Scherzer territory.

This is an idea I’m inclined to believe in, and not just because I’m writing an article trying to sell everyone on De Leon as a grand solution for the Dodgers’ pitching woes.

Naturally, De Leon has legit talent to help explain his strikeout mastery. Each of the three lists mentioned above puts him among the top 30 prospects in the game, and they agree that his stuff has benefited from improved conditioning and mechanics in the three years since he was a 24th-round pick in 2013. De Leon’s fastball now sits in the 91-94 range, and he also throws a plus changeup and a solid slider.

And there’s more to De Leon’s dominance than just the quality of his stuff.

His improved command allows him to put his stuff where he wants, and he’s also deceptive. Even Keith Law of ESPN.com, who only likes De Leon as baseball’s No. 60 prospect, can grant that “hitters really don’t see the ball well out of his hand.”

That would seem to be the whole idea. Here’s a good look at De Leon’s pitching mechanics:

It’s easy to see that De Leon’s mechanics offer hitters quite a few moving parts to keep track of. But if you’re also getting the sense that he hides the ball well as he goes into his delivery, that’s not just you.

“Part of his success is that he hides the ball really well,” High-A Rancho Cucamonga pitching coach Bill Simas told Jake Seiner of MiLB.com last year. “Some people have a knack for that. It’s hard to explain. He hides it behind his body until that release.”

De Leon further adds to his deception with his throwing motion, which almost makes it look like the ball is exploding straight out of his shoulder.

All these things were on display when De Leon made his spring debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 5. He struck out four in two innings, and Chad Moriyama of Dodgers Digest has the video to prove that he induced more than enough swings-and-misses to deserve those four strikeouts.

Lest anyone think De Leon is perfect, well, he’s not. Though he kept striking batters out at a high rate once he reached Double-A last year, he also allowed 11 home runs. That’s one more than he’d allowed in his entire minor league career to that point.

But with the Dodgers, that weakness could be downplayed. Dodger Stadium isn’t a power-friendly park, and it’s not alone in that department within the NL West. Petco Park and AT&T Park are also pitchers’ yards, and it so happens the Dodgers will visit both before their home opener on April 12.

If the Dodgers want to play it safe while they wait for their starting rotation to take the shape they planned on, they can go with Beachy or Bolsinger at the back end. Or, they could go for De Leon and wait to capitalize on his upside.

They’re going to do it sooner or later. It might as well be sooner.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

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Johnny Cueto, one of the San Francisco Giants‘ two big offseason acquisitions, is recovering from a possible concussion after being hit with a line drive on Monday.

Continue for updates.

Agent Comments on Cueto‘s Recovery

Tuesday, March 15

Jon Morosi of Fox Sports talked to Bryce Dixon, Cueto‘s agent, who said his client is “doing fine” and will follow up with the Giants staff on Tuesday.

Cueto Placed in Concussion Protocol

Monday, March 14

Cueto is being checked by team doctors for a concussion, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. He will be observed for concussion symptoms, per Schulman, but manager Bruce Bochy believes he’ll be fine. Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area noted Cueto had a bump on his forehead but didn’t show signs of having a concussion. 

A line drive off the bat of Billy Burns of the Oakland Athletics hit Cueto in the head, as Casey Pratt of CSNBayArea.com shared:

He would continue to pitch after trainers checked on him, but he was taken back to Scottsdale Stadium to be further examined, per Schulman. 

Cueto Unable to Shake Injury Bug

Injuries have always been bubbling under the surface with Cueto, even though he’s been able to avoid a major problem in the past two seasons.

Cueto missed time early in 2015 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds with elbow stiffness, though an MRI revealed no structural damage, and he was able to return without going on the disabled list.

Injuries have slowed the 30-year-old throughout his career, as he’s crossed the 180-inning threshold just four times in eight seasons. When healthy, he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball, with two top-five finishes in National League Cy Young Award voting (2012 and 2014).

Cueto wasn’t his normal self after Kansas City acquired him last July. He had a 1.45 WHIP and 4.76 ERA in 13 starts following the trade, but he did end things on a high note with a complete-game two-hitter in Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Mets.

Losing Cueto would hurt San Francisco’s rotation, but the Giants are fortunate to have Madison Bumgarner as their ace and Jeff Samardzija to support him if Cueto indeed misses regular-season starts because of the injury.

This isn’t how the 30-year-old wanted to start his career with the Giants, but hopefully he’s able to rebound from this setback quickly.

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What has four legs, six rings and the undying affection of the City by the Bay?

That’d be the San Francisco Giants‘ Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey, hands down the best battery in baseball and, in fact, the best pitcher/catcher pairing the sport has seen in decades.

Oh, sure, this week we learned that Bumgarner will miss one or two Cactus League starts with injuries to his foot and ribcage that he termed “minor,” per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. The big left-hander, Schulman added, insists he’ll make his scheduled Opening Day start.

Based on his track record of grit under pressure, we’re inclined to believe him. And we’ll assume that when he does, Posey will be in the squat.

If so, it’ll be another in a long list of watershed moments for San Francisco’s dynamic duo.

Despite their relative youth—Bumgarner is 26 and Posey turns 29 on March 27—the Giants’ ace and MVP backstop have shared a trio of championship runs. In 2014, Posey caught Bumgarner‘s transcendent Game 7 relief appearance against the Kansas City Royals, as well as all 52.2 frames of the southpaw’s historic postseason.

When Posey catches Bumgarner, whether in a Fall Classic elimination game or the Cactus League, one of the first things you notice is how infrequently Bumgarner shakes him off.

They’re simpatico, like all successful batteries must be. It’s a rhythm they began developing in the minor leagues, after the Giants drafted Bumgarner out of North Carolina’s South Caldwell High School in 2007 and Posey from Florida State the following year.

“They both kind of came up together at almost the same time,” Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti said, per Schulman. “When they did, I noticed there was a rapport between the two of them right off the bat.”

They dress at adjoining lockers in Scottsdale, Schulman noted, and joke and tease like brothers.

They even manage to push each other at the plate. On July 13, 2014, they became the first pitcher and catcher in MLB history to each hit a grand slam in the same game, an 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. And last year, both took home Silver Slugger Awards for the second straight season.

Mostly, though, their success comes with 60 feet, 6 inches of separation between them. Posey is good no matter who he’s catching; he was the fourth-best pitch-framer in the game last season, per StatCorner, and seems destined to eventually win a Gold Glove. But his bond with Bumgarner specifically is undeniable.

So are the results. Bumgarner has eclipsed 200 innings in five consecutive seasons and made three All-Star teams in that stretch. And Posey, of course, has grabbed a batting title and an NL MVP Award during the same period, in addition to toiling capably under the tools of ignorance.

We said up there that they’re baseball’s best battery, and that’s a pretty uncontroversial statement. Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals have had plenty of superlative moments together, but both are attempting injury comebacks and appear to be on the downside of their careers.

Other than that, what’s the competition? The Toronto Blue Jays‘ Russell Martin and Marcus Stroman? The Kansas City Royals’ Salvador Perez and Edinson Volquez? No offense to those perfectly respectable twosomes, but they’re not even in the same stratosphere.

No, to find adequate comparables for Posey and Bumgarner, we have to reach further back into baseball history.

In the early 2000s, Jorge Posada was a perennial All-Star behind the dish for the New York Yankees. And he caught his share of excellent pitchers, including Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina and Roger Clemens. In the ’90s, Javy Lopez framed pitches for Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine during the Atlanta Braves‘ run of dominance, but he was nowhere near the talent Posey is.

So how far back do we go? Johnny Bench and Tom Seaver? Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford?

Yes, we’re dialing deep into the 20th century and dealing in legends and Hall of Famers. But that’s the company Posey and Bumgarner are moving into, and they’re each locked into long-term deals with the Giants—Bumgarner through 2019 and Posey through 2022—meaning they’ll have ample opportunity to pad their mutual resume.

OK, here’s the part where we’re legally obligated to mention that it’s an even year. Which, since 2010, has meant orange and black confetti and a parade down Market Street. And, right on cue, the Giants spent $220 million to bolster their rotation with free agents Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija.

Bumgarner, however, remains the unquestioned ace. That’s why news of him missing a spring start or two is a big deal, even if the reason for it isn’t necessarily.

Along with Posey and skipper Bruce Bochy, he’s the thread that ties the Giants’ title trilogy together. If they’re going to get another one, the stud left-hander and his cherub-faced catcher will surely be in the middle of the magic yet again.

It almost feels like destiny, though as Schulman opined, “To say they were destined for greatness together is prosaic but inaccurate. Destiny in sports is earned.”

True enough. And as their ring-covered fingers attest, Bumgarner and Posey have earned it several times over.

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Here’s what is certain about the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting rotation: Clayton Kershaw. Things that are questionable about Los Angeles’ starting pitchers include everything else.

The team allowed Zack Greinke to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks this winter. Brandon McCarthy, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, is on the 60-day disabled list and is joined by flamethrower Frankie Montas, who has a rib injury.

Then there’s Kenta Maeda, signed this offseason from Japan, who couldn’t have more pressure on him to perform well in 2016. The Dodgers expect to win their fourth straight National League West title, and Maeda’s performance this season will be a huge determinant.

With the big bucks from their television deal, the Dodgers could have spent the money to get Greinke to stay. So, reasonably, they have to believe Maeda is capable of carrying the banner as the team’s No. 2 starter.

But with so many injuries to guys expected to contribute, Maeda won’t be able to ease into his first year of Major League Baseball. To ensure the Dodgers don’t fall behind early in the race, he will need to perform right away.

Though they couldn’t have forecasted the injuries, it appears as if the Dodgers are confident that Maeda can do just that. Recent moves they have made suggest as much.

In February, the team finalized a $30 million deal with Cuban right-handed pitcher Yaisel Sierra, according to Doug Padilla of ESPN.com. That same report said that he’s likely to pitch out of the bullpen this season, though the team will stretch him out as a starter in spring training.

Again, if the Dodgers had concerns about Maeda’s adjustment to Major League Baseball, they may have spent that money to bolster the rotation. Or they may have forced Sierra into the starting rotation as insurance, even though he projects as a reliever.

The Dodgers’ starting rotation also features Scott Kazmir and Alex Wood. They are both guys with as much concern as upside. Kazmir had a 2.38 ERA with the Oakland A’s before being traded to Houston last season and disappointing in an Astros uniform. But he also has an injury history that, at 32, is a concern.

Wood has flashed top-of-the-rotation ability. But after being traded from the Atlanta Braves to the Dodgers last season, he posted a 4.35 ERA in 12 starts with Los Angeles. There’s a need for Wood to play well early, too. But it seems he’ll be given more of a grace period than the hyped Maeda.

As wacky as it may sound, other than Kershaw, Maeda might be the team’s most reliable starter. So he currently figures as the rotation’s No. 2.

Obviously, with no major league experience, there’s little to forecast how Maeda, 27, may play as a rookie. But his numbers in Japan, at minimum, suggest that he is able to maintain a consistent level of play.

Since the 2010 season, Maeda hasn’t had an ERA higher than 2.46 while playing in the Japan Central League. It may not be Major League Baseball, but he should be credited for his performance in a high-level professional setting.

There’s also a financial incentive that should motivate Maeda to disregard any notion of a rookie learning curve.

Maeda signed an eight-year, $100 million contract with the Dodgers this offseason. But only $25 million—or $3.13 million per year—is guaranteed. While a deal this incentive-laden may be unorthodox for a major league player, it provides the additional motivation Maeda may need to develop quickly.

If he plays like a No. 2 pitcher, he will get paid like one.

Right now, given all the injuries and questions about other Dodgers pitchers, Maeda is the only one who can eliminate any uncertainty. Kershaw will do his job, sure. But the team can’t rely wholly on its ace.

After all, he only pitches once every five days.

It’s possible the Dodgers could get lucky the first few months of the season, remain as healthy as they are now and watch Kazmir and Wood bolster the rotation. If that’s the case, Maeda’s performance may not matter as much.

But all the unknowns surrounding the Dodgers rotation won’t be answered on Day 1. Or even in the first month of the season.

Maeda has to be the guy to perform the moment the season starts. It’s clear the Dodgers are counting on just that.

He is a rookie in name only. Maeda needs to pitch like a veteran, and that needs to begin the day he throws his first major league pitch.

Seth Gruen is a national baseball columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @SethGruen and like his Facebook page.

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The Colorado Rockies continue to wait for official word on shortstop Jose Reyes‘ potential suspension.

Continue for updates.

Rockies Fearing the Worst for Reyes Suspension

Monday, March 7

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported Colorado is preparing for what could be a “lengthy suspension” for the four-time All-Star.

Reyes was arrested Oct. 31 for an alleged domestic-violence incident in Maui, Hawaii, per ESPN.com. ESPN.com noted Reyes allegedly shoved his wife into a glass door in the hotel they stayed at and was later released after posting a $1,000 bail.

On March 1, Major League Baseball suspended newly acquired New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman for 30 games after a police report revealed Chapman was accused of firing a gun eight times and choking his girlfriend, per Jeff Passan and Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports.

Nick Groke of the Denver Post reported Reyes is scheduled to go on trial April 4, and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told Groke he plans to act quickly once the trial concludes.

“My expectation is, once that process plays out, we’ll be in position to act quickly,” Manfred said. “We’ll have access to all the facts.”

Reyes has three years remaining on a six-year, $106 million deal he signed with the Miami Marlins in December 2011. The Rockies are the third team Reyes has played for since signing that deal. Miami sent him to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012 in a trade that centered around pitchers Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson. Toronto then sent him to Colorado last season for All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

Reyes, the highest-paid player on the Rockies, is set to earn $22 million this year, per Spotrac. He batted .259 in 47 games for Colorado in 2015.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Colorado Rockies reliever Jairo Diaz will miss the 2016 season after suffering a right ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right elbow, which will require Tommy John surgery.

Continue for updates.

Diaz Won’t Get Chance to Impress in 2016

Sunday, March 6

The Rockies announced on Sunday that the surgery is imminent.

Diaz, 24, pitched in 21 games for the Rockies last season, compiling an ERA+ of 200, with 18 strikeouts and six walks in 19 innings, per Baseball-Reference.com.   

He suffered the injury during a spring training game on Saturday. 

“I didn’t feel it pop or anything,” Diaz said Sunday morning of the injury, per Nick Groke of the Denver Post. “It just feels weird.”    

With the serious diagnosis, Diaz now will not be able to battle for his roster position, per Groke:

He battled wildness at times, but his 18 strikeouts against six walks seemed promising.

Diaz was set to battle with Scott Oberg, Justin Miller, Miguel Castro and Carlos Estevez for a spot in the bullpen. The elbow reconstruction surgery facing Diaz usually requires 12 to 16 months of recovery and rehabilitation.

While it doesn’t appear the Rockies were going to rely on the right-hander to carry the bullpen, any pitching loss for Colorado is bad news considering it finished last in the majors in 2015 in team ERA at 4.65.

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Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley will not be forced to serve a two-game suspension for purposefully sliding into New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada after the league lifted its ban Sunday.  

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times first reported the decision, citing “a person familiar with the decision.” Joel Sherman of the New York Post later provided a synopsis of MLB Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre discussing the ruling:

Utley, 37, received a two-game ban after MLB deemed his takeout slide of Tejada in Game 2 of their NLDS matchup illegal. Umpires on the field did not see anything wrong with the slide at the time. Tejada suffered a broken leg on the play and missed the remainder of the postseason.

In October, Torre examined the play and released a statement that Utley should not be let off the hook:

After thoroughly reviewing the play from all conceivable angles, I have concluded that Mr. Utley’s action warrants discipline. While I sincerely believe that Mr. Utley had no intention of injuring Ruben Tejada, and was attempting to help his Club in a critical situation, I believe his slide was in violation of Official Baseball Rule 5.09 (a) (13), which is designed to protect fielders from precisely this type of rolling block that occurs away from the base.

MLB expedited Utley’s appeal so it could be heard while the Dodgers-Mets series was still ongoing. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, then with CBS Sports, noted MLB and the MLBPA had disagreed on when the appeal should be heard:

While a select few have come out in defense of Utley, saying his slide was merely aggressive, an overwhelming chorus deemed the play dirty and called for the suspension to be upheld. Dave Schoenfield of ESPN.com called the slide “clearly dirty and malicious.” Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post wrote it was “100 percent” a dirty play. Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez tweeted he was “bothered” by the play.

Utley, meanwhile, has maintained he was just playing good, hard baseball. 

“I was trying to put a body on him to try to break up a double play,” Utley said, per Jorge L. Ortiz of USA Today. “You’re taught from a young age to try to break up double plays. I think that’s winning baseball. Anybody in that situation … my focus is seeing the ball. I didn’t realize his back was turned. Everything obviously happens fast.”

While the Dodgers will be happy to avoid losing Utley for any amount of time, he’s failed to reach the heights he did earlier in his career. He had a .212/.286/.343 slash line with eight home runs and 39 RBI while splitting time with the Philadelphia Phillies and Dodgers during the 2015 regular season, all numbers that were near or at his career worsts for a full season.

Despite his struggles, the Dodgers re-signed him to a one-year, $7 million deal, and Los Angeles will be hoping that he can perform at a higher level as it chases a World Series appearance.

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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brett Anderson is nursing a back injury that will require surgery, and it is uncertain when he will be able to return to action.

Continue for updates.

Anderson to Undergo Surgery

Wednesday, March 2

Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reported that Anderson will miss three to five months after undergoing the procedure.

Anderson Once Again Experiencing Back Issues

MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick pointed out that Anderson underwent back surgery in 2014. According to McCullough, the procedure two years ago was for a herniated disk.

Anderson rebounded from an injury-plagued 2014 to pitch a career-high 180.1 innings while notching a 10-9 record and 3.69 ERA last season.

“We saw the dedication [last year] to the core and back program, which gave us confidence that that would be behind him,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said, per McCullough. “And felt really good about the risk that we took last year. We’re optimistic that there’s even another gear in there.”

The fact that Anderson’s back has flared up again is a cause for concern.

The matter is compounded by the fact that L.A.’s pitching staff is dealing with several medical issues at the moment, per NBC Sports’ Drew Silva:

Considering Anderson’s confidence was on the rise following a healthy and productive first season in Los Angeles, it’s unfortunate for the Dodgers that he has taken a step back at this juncture in 2016.

Another back injury will also hurt Anderson’s potential earning power. The southpaw told the Los Angeles Times‘ Dylan Hernandez he passed up “some multiyear offers” over the fall, instead opting to sign a one-year qualifying offer with the Dodgers.

Now a prospective free agent following the 2016 season, Anderson will need to return from the procedure and perform at a high level to try to snag another long-term contract.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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There’s a scene in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me that I can’t help but relate to Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson. Austin sits in bed and comes to the sudden realization he’s “lost his mojo.”

We’ve heard this before when it comes to athletes, though it often refers to a slow decline. For Pederson, it was almost an overnight transformation.

I don’t know if Pederson one day last summer woke up and wondered if his version of Dr. Evil—maybe an opposing pitcher?—had ripped out whatever intangible phenomenon caused him to tear through the league as a rookie in April of last season. But a cliff-like drop in average came in May, followed by a similar decline in his power numbers in July, and it left me wondering what the heck had happened.

Whatever it was, Pederson needs to figure it out this spring. It’s crucial for the Dodgers that he recalibrates himself into an impactful hitter.

The organization should be rooting hard for Pederson to win the starting center field job. The team needs his defense. Last year, he had a revised zone rating of .929 on FanGraphs, which was 14th among all outfielders.

Yet his offense was so bad, there were times in 2015 his defense couldn’t justify his position as a starter. L.A.’s offense needs his power. But more importantly, it just needs him to put balls in play.

In April of last season, Pederson hit .298/.461/.596 and looked like the lead dog for National League Rookie of the Year. His average ticked up to .300 after a May 1 game against the Arizona Diamondbacks then did a disappearing act that rivals any David Copperfield trick.

He hit .236 in May, .222 in June, .169 in July and .120 in August. A .197 September batting average helped him finish the season hitting .210. As for his power numbers, he hit the 20th of his 26 homers in 2015—second-best on the team—on June 29. He had a streak of five consecutive games with a home run that stretched into early June—essentially the last we heard of Pederson’s bat in 2015.

What went awry might have been his unrelenting devotion to maintaining his power numbers, which caused him to strike out 170 times last season, the fifth-highest total in baseball. There has been a change in his mentality and his swing, according to JP Hoornstra of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (via the Los Angeles Daily News).

Last season, the left-handed hitting Pederson had a swing so focused on power that his front foot would turn over to the extent that it appeared as if he was rolling his ankle. That element is gone, according to Hoornstra, with a new swing featuring much more fluid footwork.

A movie theater would run out of popcorn before we saw players come to spring training without referencing the adjustments they made all winter. Batting stances, lost weight and diets are popular topics among players. We don’t know if the adjustments are meaningless until the season starts, though.

The conundrum: If Pederson’s newly minted swing doesn’t net results, who from a Dodgers outfield shrouded in uncertainty will carry the offensive burden?

Injuries have limited Carl Crawford, and at 34 years old, he is a wild card. Andre Ethier hit .294 last year and is a solid left-handed bat against righty pitchers. But he’s barely serviceable against lefties. In 45 at-bats against left-handed pitching last season, he hit .200 and is a career .234 hitter against it.

Right fielder Yasiel Puig only played 79 games last season while dealing with hamstring issues, and reports of clubhouse friction from Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, among others, made Puig the subject of trade speculation. Both have combined to hinder the freakish potential we saw when he hit .319 as a rookie in 2013.

There’s hope, obviously, but not necessarily any more than there is with Pederson, who is only 23.

Even more shocking than Pederson’s drastic drop was that despite his high strikeout total, he had an on-base percentage of .346. Pederson’s walk percentage was 15.7, which ranked him sixth in baseball.

He has a keen eye. If he can learn to lay off some pitches, he can develop into the kind of top-of-the-order hitter the Dodgers could use. For those wondering, by the way, in today’s game, it’s perfectly all right to lead off with power. In fact, the majority of his at-bats last season (268) came in the leadoff spot.

Given his walk rate, that may be where he could help the team most.

He will need to prove himself worthy, though. Find his mojo. Develop a better swing. Be less focused on power numbers. Call it whatever you want.

The April 2015 version of Pederson needs to be revived.

Seth Gruen is a national baseball columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @SethGruen and like his Facebook page.

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Major League Baseball reportedly will not suspend Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig for an alleged domestic violence incident involving his sister, per ESPN’s Pedro Gomez.

However, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times spoke Tuesday with Dan Halem, MLB‘s chief legal officer, who denied Puig is in the clear: “The investigation is not finished. The commissioner has not rendered a decision.”

Last November, Puig was allegedly involved in a fight with a bouncer at a Miami nightclub. The Associated Press (via USA Today) reported Puig was having an argument with his sister prior to the altercation with the bouncer. Both the bouncer and Puig declined to press charges.

Gomez’s report comes on the same day MLB announced it suspended New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman for 30 games after an alleged incident with his girlfriend in October. The league also placed Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes on administrative paid leave while his domestic-abuse trial is ongoing.

The joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child-abuse policy between MLB and the MLB Players Association allows MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to act somewhat unilaterally when it comes to player discipline. Under the terms of the policy, the commissioner isn’t beholden to a minimum or maximum length for a punishment, and criminal charges aren’t a prerequisite.

This spring will be somewhat important for Puig—at least as important as spring training can be for any veteran. Shaikin explained on MLB Tonight in early February how the Dodgers are committed to the Cuban star:

Puig played in just 79 games in 2015, boasting a .255/.322/.436 slash line with 11 home runs and 38 runs batted in. His work at the plate was a far cry from the heights of “Puig-mania.”

Being unavailable for Opening Day due to a suspension wouldn’t get the 25-year-old off on the right foot to start the 2016 campaign, so MLB’s final ruling will carry major weight both for him and the Dodgers.

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