A few hours before they took the field at Dodger Stadium to begin the 2019 season against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers on Thursday morning announced their opening day roster — and Brock Stewart is on it. Stewart will occupy the only vacancy that had been up for grabs over the final few days of spring training. The right-hander will begin the season serving as a long man in the Dodgers’ bullpen. He beat out Dennis Santana for the job. “Brock obviously has a history at this level, has had some success,” Dpdgers manager Dave Roberts said. “If an inning does get long, I feel much more comfortable extending Brock 25, 30, 35 pitches, if it does get to that point — let alone talk about multiple innings.” The Dodgers wanted someone who could pitch multiple innings in that spot because Julio Urias and Walker Buehler, two-fifths of the starting rotation, will be limited in the early going. Advertisement Buehler is scheduled to start Sunday against the Diamondbacks. He last took the mound Monday for a simulated game at Angel Stadium, where he pitched four innings. His spring training was disrupted early by an ailment the Dodgers have declined to specify. Sign up for our Dodgers newsletter » Urias logged four perfect innings in the final game of the preseason Freeway Series on Wednesday. The Dodgers will practice caution with the left-hander, who underwent shoulder surgery less than two years ago. He’s likely to make just one start before going to the bullpen. Stewart, 27, allowed 12 earned runs in nine outings with the Dodgers last season. He made seven of those appearances as a reliever. He owns a 4.84 career earned-run average in 80 major-league innings. Here is the Dodgers’ 25-man roster: PITCHERS Hyun-Jin Ryu Ross Stripling Advertisement Kenta Maeda Walker Buehler Julio Urias Brock Stewart Advertisement Yimi Garcia Dylan Floro Scott Alexander Caleb Ferguson Advertisement Pedro Baez Joe Kelly Kenley Jansen CATCHERS Advertisement Austin Barnes Russell Martin INFIELDERS Max Muncy Advertisement David Freese Enrique Hernandez Corey Seager Justin Turner Advertisement Chris Taylor OUTFIELDERS Cody Bellinger A.J. Pollock Advertisement Joc Pederson Alex Verdugo INJURED LIST LHP Clayton Kershaw (10-day, left shoulder inflammation) Advertisement LHP Rich Hill (10-day, left knee sprain) LHP Tony Cingrani (left shoulder impingement) jorge.castillo@latimes.com Twitter: @jorgecastillo<doc-sep>All 30 teams are in action on Thursday in a jam-packed opening day throughout Major League Baseball. Though it is opening day, there have already been two regular season games played, after the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics in two games at Tokyo Dome in Japan on March 20-21. Both teams are back home a week later to start the domestic portion of their respective schedules. Cy Young Award winners galore take the mound on opening day, with reigning National League winner Jacob deGrom and the New York Mets on the road to face the Washington Nationals and Max Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who won in the NL in both 2016 and 2017. Last year’s American League Cy Young winner Blake Snell is at home where the Tampa Bay Rays will face the Houston Astros and Justin Verlander, the 2011 Cy Young winner and a three-time Cy runner up, including in 2018. Corey Kluber, the AL Cy Young Award winner in both 2014 and 2017, starts for the Cleveland Indians on the road to face the Minnesota Twins in an AL Central battle. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw was originally scheduled to start for the Los Angeles Dodgers but left shoulder inflammation has pushed back his start to the season. Instead, Hyun-jin Ryu starts for the Dodgers against former teammate and 2012 AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke and the Arizona Diamonbacks. This broke Kershaw’s streak of nine consecutive opening day starts Felix Hernandez, the 2010 AL Cy winner, had a streak of 10 straight opening day starts snapped when Marco Gonzales took the mound for Seattle last week against the A’s in Japan. ESPN will nationally televise three games on Thursday, beginning with the New York Yankees hosting the Baltimore Orioles. The other two ESPN games feature last year’s World Series participants, with the Dodgers hosting the Diamondbacks in Los Angeles, followed by the champion Boston Red Sox on the road in Seattle. All three games can be streamed online through Watch ESPN. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado debut with their new teams, with the Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Atlanta Braves, and the San Diego Padres hosting the San Francisco Giants. In that latter game, Bruce Bochy starts his 25th and final season as manager with San Francisco on the road in San Diego, where played five years and managed in San Diego another 12 seasons. Bochy announced on Feb. 18 that he would retire after the 2019 season. Opening day schedule National games Orioles at Yankees | 1:05 p.m. ET Yankee Stadium, New York | Andrew Cashner vs. Masahiro Tanaka TV: ESPN | Online: Watch ESPN | Local Market Online Stream: fuboTV Diamondbacks at Dodgers | 4:10 p.m. ET Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles | Zack Greinke vs. Hyun-jin Ryu TV: ESPN | Online: Watch ESPN Red Sox at Mariners | 7:10 p.m. ET T-Mobile Park, Seattle | Chris Sale vs. Marco Gonzales TV: ESPN | Online: Watch ESPN Other games Mets at Nationals | 1:05 p.m. ET Nationals Par, Washington, D.C. | Jacob deGrom vs. Max Scherzer Local Market Online Stream: fuboTV Cardinals at Brewers | 2:10 p.m. ET Miller Park, Milwaukee | Miles Mikolas vs. Jhoulys Chacin Local Market Online Stream: fuboTV Braves at Phillies | 3:05 p.m. ET Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia | Julio Teheran vs. Aaron Nola Out of Market Online Stream: ESPN+ Tigers at Blue Jays | 3:37 p.m. ET Rogers Centre, Toronto | Jordan Zimmermann vs. Marcus Stroman Local Market Online Stream: fuboTV Astros at Rays | 4 p.m. ET Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg | Justin Verlander vs. Blake Snell Local Market Online Stream: fuboTV Cubs at Rangers | 4:05 p.m. ET Globe Life Park, Arlington | Jon Lester vs. Mike Minor Angels at A’s | 4:07 p.m. ET Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | Trevor Cahill vs. Mike Fiers Local Market Online Stream: fuboTV Rockies at Marlins | 4:10 p.m. ET Marlins Park, Miami | Kyle Freeland vs. Jose Urena Local Market Online Stream: fuboTV Indians at Twins | 4:10 p.m. ET Target Field, Minneapolis | Corey Kluber vs. Jose Berrios Local Market Online Stream: fuboTV Giants at Padres | 4:10 p.m. ET Petco Park, San Diego | Madison Bumgarner vs. Eric Lauer Local Market Online Stream: fuboTV Pirates at Reds | 4:10 p.m. ET Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati | Jameson Taillon vs. Luis Castillo White Sox at Royals | 4:15 p.m. ET Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City | Carlos Rodon vs. Brad Keller Local Market Online Stream: fuboTV<doc-sep>Happy Opening Day Eve, everyone. It’s been a long winter, but it’s finally almost time for Dodger baseball! The True Blue LA staff has examined each National League West team this the week, and we are finishing up with a preview of the boys in blue. Look back at 2018 For the second straight year, the Dodgers made it to the World Series and entered the offseason without a ring. The Boston Red Sox defeated the Dodgers in the fall classic, four games to one. The team suffered significant losses during the season due to injuries. Justin Turner started the first six weeks of the season on the injured list, Corey Seager’s year ended in May to get surgery on his elbow and hip, and Hyun-Jin Ryu spent three months on the injured list after experiencing a severe left groin strain. Despite these injuries, 2018 was also the season the Dodgers claimed their sixth-straight division title - but it didn’t come easily. It took 163 games for the NL West to be won - seeing the Dodgers and Rockies battle it out until the very end. They finished the regular season with a record of 92-71, leading the division by as much as 25 1⁄ 2 games over the San Diego Padres. Additions and subtractions It was a quietly active offseason for the Dodgers. They made a handful of moves, with almost each one receiving a high amount of criticism. The first (and arguably biggest) move came on Dec. 21. LA agreed to trade outfielders Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig, along with starter Alex Wood and bench piece Kyle Farmer to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Homer Bailey, Jeter Downs and Josiah Gray. For LA, it was basically a salary dump, getting rid of Kemp’s hefty contract and parting ways with Puig and Wood before they hit the free-agent market next offseason. The Dodgers got back two solid prospects in the deal, but immediately released Bailey, which was a condition of his accepting the trade, a right he held as a “10-and-5” player, someone with over 10 years of service time with the last five or more with the current team. With a spot open in the outfield, the Dodgers signed center fielder A.J. Pollock to a five-year deal. Pollock tormented LA last season, hitting .301 and mashing nine homers in only 19 games against them last season. On top of losing two starting outfielders, the Dodgers also lost their starting catcher. After declining the qualifying offer, Yasmani Grandal became a free-agent and signed with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Dodgers also acquired Russell Martin from the Toronto Blue Jays. Martin, a familiar face, spent the first five seasons of his career in Los Angeles. LA’s bullpen will remain mostly the same, with the exception of Joe Kelly. The Dodgers inked the right-handed reliever to a three-year deal. Dodgers fans remember Kelly far too well, as he was practically unhittable in the World Series for the Red Sox. In six innings, Kelly struck out 10 and only allowed four hits. Other notable names lost: Manny Machado, Brian Dozier, Ryan Madson, Chase Utley and Pat Venditte. Pitching Right now, the pitching for the Dodgers is all over the place. Injuries to some players have complicated things for Dave Roberts and everyone else. As it stands right now, the starting rotation consists of Hyun-Jin Ryu, Ross Stripling, Kenta Maeda, Walker Buehler and Julio Urias. Both Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill will be beginning the season on the injured list. Though he appeared in only 15 games last season, Ryu put together his most productive season as a member of the Dodgers. He finished the year 7-2, posting an ERA of 1.97 and a WHIP of 1.008 - both career-highs. His strikeouts per nine innings ratio was a career high (9.7), as well was his strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.93). He’ll be the first starter not named Clayton Kershaw to start Opening Day since Vicente Padilla in 2010. Projected to be a reliever in 2019, Stripling finds himself back in the starting rotation, a job that helped lead him to an All-Star appearance last season. Through the end of June last year, Stripling was one of the biggest surprises in baseball. He had an ERA of 1.98, and had a record of 6-2. He struggled in the second half, finding himself demoted to the bullpen as he dealt with injuries. Over his final 11 appearances, his ERA was just under five at 4.84, and he allowed 10 home runs. Position players On the flip side, the Dodgers’ defense is set to go. In an interview with MLB Network’s Brian Kenny in early March, Cody Bellinger revealed he would be the everyday right fielder. He was in the conversation to become the center fielder, but his right-field role was decided with the addition of Gold Glove winner, A.J. Pollock. Pollock will likely lead the outfield this season, bringing seven years of experience and top-notch defense. In 2018, Pollock had a .996 fielding percentage, only committing 3 errors in 109 games. Finishing off the outfield in the 7 spot will be Joc Pederson. The departure of Yasmani Grandal made way for the promotion of Austin Barnes from backup catcher to starter. Dave Roberts estimated Austin Barnes will catch 60% of the time and Russell Martin 40%. Barnes has had a nice spring after regressing in 2018. — Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) March 21, 2019 Barnes had a disappointing 2018 season, but his Spring Training performance may be a sign of future success. In 53 plate apperanes, Barnes is batting .289/.396/.489/.885, including two home runs and 12 RBIs. Though not official yet, Barnes is projected to get the start on Opening Day. Max Muncy, Enrique Hernandez, Corey Seager and Justin Turner make up the infield. After Muncy’s stellar 2018 season, the bar is set high for this new year. Muncy crushed 35 home runs in his first season with the Dodgers and gained votes on the 2018 National League MVP ballot. Enrique Hernandez finally has his set role on the team, after serving as the super-utility player for three seasons. Hernandez was named the everyday second baseman, filling in the spot Chase Utley left vacant. Third baseman Justin Turner will enter the new season on a hot streak, after having an incredible 2019 Spring Training outing. He is batting an impressive .465 with a slugging percentage of .814. Corey Seager makes his regular season return on Opening Day after surgery cut his 2018 season short. The 2017 Silver Slugger award winner is coming back hoping to see another great season. Prospects Multiple prospect lists including ones published on MLB Pipeline, ESPN, Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America, The Athletic (John Sickels) and Fangraphs identified the same five Dodger prospects as among the Top 100 this season. Those were outfielder Alex Verdugo, catchers Keibert Ruiz and Will Smith, right-handed pitcher Dustin May and infielder Gavin Lux. Alex Verdugo is going to be on the Opening Day roster for the first time in his career. Verdugo was drafted in the 2nd Round in 2014 and he has played in Oklahoma City for the last two seasons. The left-handed batter can play all three outfield positions and he will be biding his time on the bench looking to make his mark. Keibert Ruiz was the prospect who was named the team’s best prospect when Verdugo was not. The best catching prospect in baseball was placed on the 40-man roster last November. The 20-year-old switch-hitting prospect had a .728 OPS with 12 home runs in Tulsa last season. He struck out 33 times and had 26 walks in 415 plate appearances. Ruiz had a .638 OPS against left-handed pitchers; he had a little more than 20% of his plate appearances as a right-handed batter. Keith Law said the following about Ruiz in an interview back in February. “You’d like to see more performance now that his age gets closer to the age of the pitchers he is facing,” Law said.<doc-sep>
With opening day looming, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked Tuesday if the club had decided who will occupy the final spot on its roster. The vacancy, he has said, will go to a relief pitcher. The decision, however, still had not been made. “I do know that spot right there, we need some length,” Roberts said before the third and final game of the Freeway Series. “That’s as much as I want to talk about it for now.” The Dodgers have an open spot in their bullpen because Julio Urias, who was slated to begin the season as a reliever, will start the campaign as a starting pitcher after Rich Hill strained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Hill will join Clayton Kershaw on the injured list to begin the season. The Dodgers were left to patch a hole. The choice is seemingly down to two candidates: Brock Stewart and Dennis Santana. Both are starting pitchers by trade. They possess the ability to pitch multiple innings that the Dodgers covet as insurance for a rotation that includes two starters with innings limitations to begin the season — Urias and Walker Buehler. The Dodgers signed Justin Grimm to a minor league contract, but the veteran right-hander’s recent history doesn’t include pitching multiple innings. Grimm, 30, hasn’t logged three or more innings in a game since August 2014. The 22-year-old Santana, a hard-throwing right-hander, gave up eight runs in 8⅓ innings during spring training. He made his major league debut last June 1. He gave up five runs in 3⅔ innings, was later diagnosed with a right rotator cuff injury and didn’t pitch again in 2018. Stewart has the experience edge, appearing in 33 games with the Dodgers and starting 11 of them. Last season, he posted a 6.11 earned-run average over 17⅔ innings in various stints with the club. Uncertainty is not foreign to Stewart; since making his major league debut in June 2016, Stewart has been promoted to the majors 16 times and demoted to the minors on 15 occasions. He’s served as the pitching staff’s hole plugger, a role he thought was behind him after using three option years. But last November he found out he had a fourth option year because he hadn’t accrued five years of professional experience, which won’t force the Dodgers to trade or waive him before opening day. Stewart may find himself on the major league roster anyway — or pitching for triple-A Oklahoma City again. Joc Pederson and A.J. Pollock to lead off Roberts said left fielder Joc Pederson will bat leadoff against right-handed starters at least to start the season, with center fielder A.J. Pollock likely moving to the top spot in the order against left-handed starters. Pederson led off for Los Angeles on Tuesday. Pollock batted fifth.