Stewart lands final spot on Opening Day roster

LOS ANGELES -- Pitcher Brock Stewart landed the final spot on the Dodgers roster for Thursday’s season opener against the D-backs, the club announced.

Stewart was 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA in Spring Training, but he also walked five and allowed eight hits in 6 1/3 innings and was optioned to Minor League camp on March 11. He was chosen over Dennis Santana to pitch long relief.

The Dodgers open the season with three players on the injured list -- starters Clayton Kershaw (left shoulder inflammation) and Rich Hill (left knee sprain) and reliever Tony Cingrani (left shoulder impingement), all retroactive to March 25. Andrew Toles is on the restricted list, dealing with a personal issue.

Ross Stripling and Julio Urias take the places of Kershaw and Hill in the starting rotation until they return, perhaps as soon as mid-April. Cingrani is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury carried over from last year.

Enrique Hernandez won the starting second-base job, with Chris Taylor available for infield and outfield duty. Austin Barnes will be the primary catcher, but Russell Martin will see significant playing time.

Left field is the only true platoon, with Joc Pederson or Alex Verdugo starting against right-handed pitching and Taylor against left-handers.

Kenley Jansen will close, but matchups will influence whether Pedro Baez, Joe Kelly or Scott Alexander set up in a particular game. Caleb Ferguson and Stewart will be the long relievers.

The roster:

First base (2): Max Muncy, David Freese

The Dodgers know what they're getting from Freese, who torments left-handed pitching. Nobody expected Muncy to hit 35 homers after beginning last season in the Minor Leagues, and nobody knows if he can do it again.

Second base (1): Kiké Hernández

Dave Roberts called him a club MVP last season and he flat-out won the starting job in the spring. The metrics show he’s still improving.

Third base (1): Justin Turner

Just keep him healthy. A.J. Ellis called Turner the "heart and soul" of the club three years ago, and he wasn't wrong.

Shortstop (1): Corey Seager

He’s looking healthy after elbow and hip operations without a setback, but durability is a big question and he figures to be a little rusty after missing most of last season.

Catcher (2): Austin Barnes, Russell Martin

Barnes had a solid spring offensively and defensively and that’s a relief after his tough 2018 season. Martin, at this stage of his career, is better than most backups and could get as much as 40 percent of the starts.

Outfield (4): Cody Bellinger, AJ Pollock, Joc Pederson, Alex Verdugo

Much is needed from Pollock, the key offseason acquisition, starting with good health. Even with him, the outfield looks pretty left-handed without Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig, but Taylor will show up there if the lefties struggle against lefties.

Utility (1): Chris Taylor

Hernandez won the starting second-base job, but Taylor will get plenty of chances. He’ll back up at both middle infield spots, spelling Seager coming off two operations. And he figures to be the right-handed platoon in left field.

Starting pitchers (5): Hyun Jin Ryu, Ross Stripling, Kenta Maeda, Walker Buehler, Julio Urías

Not exactly the way it was planned, with Kershaw and Hill beginning the season on the injured list. But how many clubs have the depth to fill in with an All-Star (Stripling) and Future Star (Urias)? Buehler had to rush to be ready, so all eyes will be on him

Relief pitchers (8): Kenley Jansen, Joe Kelly, Pedro Báez, Scott Alexander, Dylan Floro, Yimi García, Caleb Ferguson, Brock Stewart

Jansen appears healthy and fully fit after November heart surgery. Kelly is a significant upgrade as a set-up partner for Pedro Baez. Alexander appears back in form after an erratic 2018.

Worth noting

Hill said he was able to throw on flat ground on Thursday with no discomfort in his strained left knee and will try to progress to long toss on Friday. Hill reports daily improvement, but he’s being careful to not do too much and suffer a setback. Original estimates had him returning in two weeks, but that might be on the optimistic side.

Kershaw (left shoulder) is scheduled to throw a three-inning simulated game on Saturday. Cingrani (left shoulder) is out indefinitely and rehabbing at Camelback Ranch.