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Justin Sellers had a good start when he came up for the Dodgers in 2011, but after suffering a season-ending injury and then a poor performance in 2012, his status on the 40-man roster is in question. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times / August 27, 2011) |
JUSTIN SELLERS, 26, infielder
Final 2012 stats: .205 batting average, one home run, two RBIs, .286 on-base and .386 slugging percentages in 44 at-bats.
Contract status: Under team control.
The good: Not much to chalk up here. Nice glove. Still played with the great energy he displayed in 2011, though it cost him most of the season after crashing into the stands to make a marvelous catch. He injured his back on the play and ultimately went down with a season-ending surgery.
The bad: Ended the previous season hitting just .145 in his last 20 games, and did not show much improvement last season when called up May 11 to take the roster spot of injured Jerry Hairston Jr.
After he injured his back and went on the DL himself two weeks later, the Dodgers added infielders Luis Cruz and Nick Punto, and then in the off-season, Skip Schumaker.
What's next: Doesn't figure to be on the club unless a lot of bodies go down or greatly disappoint.
The take: After an unexpectedly nice start when first called up in 2011 (.278 in first 16 games), Sellers seemed to hit the wall and never really recover.
Now, he not only has back surgery to rehab from, but the competition has risen to a point where it's hard to seem in contention. His spot on the 40-man roster has to be in jeopardy.
He's versatile and solid defensively, but not enough to make up for an anemic bat.
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Dodgers mulling a run at Scott Rolen
Jerry Hairston Jr. will retire if Dodgers win the World Series
Dodgers leading rest of MLB into uncharted payroll territory
