Michael

Conforto

Conforto winds up getting a spot on Chicago’s season-opening roster following knee injuries to Seiya Suzuki and Tyler Austin. The 33-year-old veteran struggled with the Dodgers last year but he should continue to get opportunities against right-handed pitchers.

The Cubs will need to add Conforto to the 40-man roster, and that will likely come closer to Opening Day than not. The 33-year-old didn’t exactly tear up the Cactus League with a .635 OPS coming into Saturday, but he did enough to win a job with Seiya Suzuki (knee) and Tyler Austin (knee) both unavailable to begin the year. Conforto should see playing time against right-handed pitching, but his lack of success since 2020 makes him a wait-and-see option at best.

The Cubs signed Austin to a one-year contract back in December, and he was one of the favorites to land a bench spot on the Opening Day roster. It’s unclear what happened, but Cubs manager Craig Counsell simply noted that Austin would be out for months. That could open the door for both Michael Conforto and Chas McCormick to make the Cubs, with Matt Shaw perhaps getting some starts at first base against lefties to begin the season. Of course, Cubs 1B prospect Jonathan Long also hit .305/.404/.479 with 20 home runs in 140 Triple-A games last year and hits right-handed.

No word yet on whether it’s a guaranteed contract or a minor league deal. Conforto was a big disappointment for the Dodgers last year, but his exit velocity numbers weren’t so bad. With the Cubs, he’s a potential fallback to Moisés Ballesteros in the DH role or possibly a fourth outfielder ahead of Chas McCormick or Matt Shaw. Considering that the rest of the Cubs’ potential bench guys are right-handed hitters, his left-handed bat might come in handy.

Conforto would presumably challenge Joey Loperfido or Zach Cole in a corner outfield spot if signed. It should be noted that Conforto is no lock to win that battle coming into Spring Training late after hitting .199/.305/.333 for the Dodgers in 2025, disappointing the club so much that they decided to give Kyle Tucker a megacontract to forget about Conforto. This is the first blurb we have on Conforto since the White Sox expressed interest in him in January.

Conforto, 32, disappointed during his lone season with the Dodgers, slashing a meager .199/.305/.333 with 12 homers and 36 RBI in 486 plate appearances. Any chances of a potential return to the Dodgers were likely squashed on Thursday when they agreed to a mega deal with Kyle Tucker. He represents an affordable way for the White Sox to add some left-handed thump to the middle of their lineup.

Scott was removed from the team’s roster during the NLDS after undergoing a lower body abscess procedure. The Dodgers were hopeful that he would be ready to return for the start of the World Series, but he isn’t quite there yet. Vesia is still away from the team while navigating a deeply personal family matter. Ben Casparius was removed from the roster along with Vesia while Edgardo Henriquez and Will Klein were added. Michael Conforto remains off the roster as well. The Dodgers will kick off the Fall Classic in Toronto on Friday evening against Trey Yesavage and the Blue Jays.

Justin Dean makes the roster in his place. This suggests the Dodgers will typically go with an Andy Pages-Tommy Edman-Teoscar Hernandez outfield in October. Conforto hit .199/.305/.333 in 486 plate appearances this season. He came in at .246/.347/.344 in September.

Conforto finally snapped a scoreless tie in the seventh inning with an RBI single off of Trevor McDonald that plated Max Muncy. Unfortunately, that lead would be short lived and the Dodgers weren’t able to muster any additional offense. It has been a rough season overall for Conforto in his first year with the Dodgers, he’s slashing a woeful .203/.304/.342 with 12 homers and 36 RBI in 466 plate appearances.

Conforto didn’t even start the game with left-hander Robbie Ray on the hill for the Giants, but he entered as a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning and delivered a two-run single that extended the Dodgers’ lead to 5-1. Conforto also singled in the sixth inning and then added an RBI single off of J.T. Brubaker in the eighth inning. With his three-hit attack, the 32-year-old outfielder is now hitting .200/.305/.336 with 11 homers and 34 RBI over 453 plate appearances in what has been a disappointing season with the Dodgers.