Ryan

Ward

Ward was one of the PCL’s best hitters last season, coming in at .290/.380/.557 with 36 homers and 122 RBI for the Comets, and some wanted the Dodgers to give him a chance in Michael Conforto’s place. That left field spot is open now, but the Dodgers figure to go shopping rather than rely on their internal options. Ward’s best hope of getting a shot is probably still a trade.

Ward is now hitting .314 with a 1.017 OPS and 26 home runs, which leads all of the minor leagues. His batting average and OPS are both tied for second in all of Triple-A, as he continues to put together a truly impressive season. At 27 years old, there’s not much time left for the Dodgers to see what he can produce at the big league level. He should either get a shot with Los Angeles or be part of a package to bring in some help at the trade deadline.

Ward is 27 years old, so he’s not an up-and-coming prospect, but he has been crushing the ball in Triple-A this season, hitting .303/.395/.574 with 19 home runs and 11 steals in 72 games. He also hit 33 home runs and stole 11 bases in 120 games at Triple-A last year. His exit velocities have always been strong, but this year he’s taken more of a line drive approach and cut his swing rate by 11 percent, which has helped him make far more contact. With Michael Confort hitting just .176/.302/.308 in 262 plate appearances this year, it might be time for the Dodgers to see if Ward could be a better option.

The 27-year-old Ward is hitting .323/.400/.576 with 12 homers in his third season in Triple-A. There was some talk about him getting plucked in the Rule 5 draft last December, but it didn’t materialize. The Dodgers have no room for him and probably would be open to sending him elsewhere if someone wanted to give him a shot at first base or an outfield corner.

The 23-year-old backstop doesn’t have much left to prove in the minor leagues, but with Will Smit and Austin Barnes holding things down at the game’s highest level, he’ll need to work his way into the crowded outfield mix in order to have any shot of breaking camp. He’ll be an intriguing option for fantasy purposes when he does finally arrive in Los Angeles, but it’ll probably take an injury to Smith or Barnes for it to happen. Roki Sasaki and Zyhir Hope also received official invitations to spring training on Friday.

The Dodgers are narrowing down their roster sooner than most around the league as they’re opening the season against the Padres in South Korea. There were no huge surprises among this batch of cuts, though Gage could have potentially pushed for a spot in the club’s Opening Day bullpen — especially with Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen slowed by minor injuries.