The Dodgers are leaning on Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. in a bigger way than they expected when they brought him up on July 4.
Originally added to the Major League roster as the team’s backup catcher, the 26-year-old has already worked his way into eight games, with five starts. The bat hasn’t come around yet, but Los Angeles clearly likes what it’s getting from him in the room and behind the plate.
Dave Roberts made that much clear on SportsNet LA, saying the club has “trust” in the young catcher.
“The trust level, to be honest, I played with his father, and his father was a good baseball guy,” Roberts said. “So he was raised to be a catcher, so I think he just has feel. There’s a confidence he has behind the plate in himself.
“So I think for me, the fingers, the feel for the game, the relationships with the pitchers, I really wasn’t too concerned about it. Even in Spring Training, a brief little sample, he assimilated really well for a guy that had never been in camp. So I felt good about that.”
That trust matters even more now with Will Smith moved to the 60-day injured list. Smith’s neck injury has become stubborn enough that the timeline is still unclear, and the IL move was basically a paperwork step. The earliest he can be activated is Aug. 7, though he was not expected back by then anyway.
Alfonzo’s path to this point wasn’t the first one the Dodgers took. When Smith first went on the injured list June 11, Chuckie Robinson got the nod over Alfonzo because the club believed Smith’s absence would be brief. As time passed, though, Los Angeles decided to give Alfonzo his chance.
Before the call-up, Alfonzo was producing at Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he hit .313/.392/.422 with 15 doubles, one home run and 17 RBI in 49 games with the Comets.
That success has not carried over yet in the majors. In Los Angeles, he’s batting .143/.143/.214 with one double and one RBI.
For now, Dalton Rushing continues to hold down the starting job in Smith’s place.
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