Stefen

Romero

Romero was up briefly last week but didn’t make an appearance. He’ll stick around in the organization after clearing waivers.

Not a surprising move as the Dodgers needed to make room on the roster for Hanser Alberto. This was Romero’s first time in the majors since 2016 and was hitting .270/.337/.461 with three bombs and 21 RBI in 24 games at Triple-A before being added to the active roster.

It’s the first trip back to the show for the 33-year-old outfielder since way back in 2016. He was hitting .270/.337/.461 with three homers and 21 RBI in 24 games at Triple-A. He’s unlikely to find enough playing time in the Dodgers outfield to justify any sort of relevance from a fantasy perspective.

It will be the first chance for Romero to play in the majors since 2016, as the infielder/outfielder spent the 2017-2021 season in Japan where he hit 96 homers over his five seasons overseas. In 24 games with the Triple-A Dodgers, the 33-year-old has posted a .797 OPS with three homers over 102 plate appearances. Romero could see time against left-handers, but it’s hard to see him getting enough playing time -- or doing enough with it -- to justify a fantasy addition.

Romero was signed as a potential designated hitter option back in February and won’t crack the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster. The only real surprise here is Pillar, who made a serious bid for a spot as a reserve outfielder this spring. He declined to opt-out of his minor league contract over the weekend, so he’ll likely head to Triple-A Oklahoma City to start the season.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reports that Pollock is dealing with “general body soreness” and was scratched for precautionary reasons. Non-roster invitee Stefen Romero, a candidate for a job on the Dodgers’ bench this spring, is taking over in left field. It doesn’t sound like a serious issue, but it could keep him out of the lineup for a few days moving forward.

Rosenthal adds that Romero, a former top prospect who appeared in 94 games with the Mariners from 2014 to 2016, has launched a whopping 96 round-trippers over the past five seasons in Japan, and could be a potential designated hitter option for the Dodgers if a newly-approved Collective Bargaining Agreement winds up including a universal designated hitter. The 33-year-old slugger is certainly worth monitoring for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues and NL-only formats entering the 2022 campaign.

Romero was reportedly drawing some interest from major league clubs after four successful seasons in Japan, but ultimately he’s opted to remain overseas. The 32-year-old last appeared in the big leagues in 2016 with the Mariners.

Romero has spent the last four seasons in Japan but could make the jump back to Major League Baseball this winter after putting up a shiny .917 OPS with 23 home runs in 95 games this summer for the Rakuten Golden Eagles. The 32-year-old outfielder last appeared in a major league game in 2016 with the Mariners.

2020 will be the fourth straight season in Japan for Romero, who spent the last three years with the Pacific League’s Orix Buffaloes. The 31-year-old outfielder battled a lingering neck injury for much of 2019 but still managed an impressive .309/.370/.558 batting line with 20 home runs and 69 RBI over 85 games. He joins fellow imports Zelous Wheeler and Jabari Blash on the Golden Eagles’ roster.