Dodgers mailbag: What can the Dodgers do about Carl Crawford’s slump?

The Dodgers are 16-15. That translates to an 83-win pace for the season, but the team can at least take solace in this: This week was much better than the last. Still recovering from that six-game losing skid at Dodger Stadium, the team split a two-game set with Tampa Bay before grinding out a series victory in Toronto over the weekend.

Hey, it could be worse. The Blue Jays bludgeon teams with their bats, and the Dodgers held them to nine runs in three games. That’s an admirable total. But the bullpen is still questionable, and the offense has yet to find a rhythm. So there are plenty of questions surrounding the team as they return to Los Angeles for a homestand featuring the Mets, the Cardinals and the Angels.

So let’s answer some questions. You can direct them to me during the week on Twitter @McCulloughTimes. Let’s do this.

That’s a tough one. The Dodgers need someone to play left field against right-handed pitchers until Andre Ethier returns from his broken leg, but their roster lacks a perfect fit. Both Enrique Hernandez and Trayce Thompson profile as platoon players, better served starting against left-handed pitchers. Howie Kendrick is still growing acclimated to the defensive responsibilities of the position, and he did not hit in April.

That leaves Carl Crawford. Heading into the season, Dodgers officials offered a reasonable take on their expectations for Crawford. The team felt he could still perform when healthy – they just couldn’t expect him to remain healthy. Crawford fulfilled the second part of that prophecy during the first week of the season, when he landed on the disabled list due to issues with his back.

Crawford returned to action on April 26. His bat has yet to join him. Through nine games, Crawford had five hits. He can still cover some ground in left, but his arm is a liability. He has not stolen a base in a game since September.

But the Dodgers don’t have many options with him. They owe him $21.6 million for this season and $21.9 million for 2017. That money is guaranteed. The cost is sunk.

The team can’t send him to the minors. It is almost inconceivable to imagine another team being willing to take on Crawford’s contract. And the Dodgers, due to Ethier’s injury, are still somewhat reliant on Crawford posting something like a .700 on-base-plus slugging percentage. So he will continue to play, at least until Kendrick heats up.

Well, if there’s one thing the Dodgers would like to acquire, it’s a corner outfielder on the wrong side of 30 who is owed $80 million through 2020. What could go wrong?

We kid, of course, although there are some health concerns with Ryan Braun, in addition to the elephant in the room. It’s hard to gauge what his exact value is if Milwaukee puts him on the open market. He can still mash, but his history with performance-enhancing drugs, plus his age, cloud his value. Suffice it to say, it would probably take more than the Dodgers are willing to give up.

The best course with Chris Hatcher is to keep him in the mix in lower-leverage situations, hoping he can find his command. If he throws strikes, his arsenal works. He rebounded from a brutal first half in 2015, so there’s reason to believe he could do it again.

Jose De Leon is 23. The average age for pitchers in the California League, the home of the Dodgers’ class-A Rancho Cucamonga affiliate, is 23.1. He is on an innings limit because he has dealt with some minor ailments over the years and his arm has not been stretched beyond the 135-¿ total he threw during his junior year at Southern University and his professional debut after the Dodgers drafted him that summer.

De Leon debuted with triple-A Oklahoma City last week and turned in five scoreless innings. If he continues to have success and the Dodgers have a need in the majors, he’ll earn consideration.

That looks about right. Chase Utley has been one of the best – perhaps the best – position player on the Dodgers thus far. Howie Kendrick perked up during this most recent road trip, but he was their weakest hitter in April. So as long as Utley keeps performing, he will start the majority of the games at second base.

That’s how a platoon works. Utley starts against right-handed pitchers. Kendrick starts against left-handed pitchers. There are far more right-handed pitchers than left-handed pitchers.

You may as well have asked what Vladimir and Estragon did when Godot arrived. There’s still a long road between Hyun-Jin Ryu facing some batters in a simulated outing and him actually pitching in a big-league game. Manager Dave Roberts said last week he felt Ryu and Brandon McCarthy would likely return within a week of each other, which would likely be late June or early July.

So much can change between then and now. Wood has a longer track record of success in the majors than Stripling, but he also could be a better asset in the bullpen. Let’s see how each man is throwing when (if) Ryu returns.

As a reporter, you ask questions like this a lot. Baseball people tend to answer the same way: With some version of “It will work itself out.” And, honestly, they tend to be right. Someone will get injured, someone will stop hitting, something will happen. Neither Ethier nor Van Slyke is particularly close to a return, and this is a roster that features plenty of candidates for injury.

As a 28-year-old man who still regularly watches professional wrestling and listens to emo music, I would advise you to grow up.

Seth Rollins will return a massive amount of love when he comes back, a date which may be drawing close (Cageside Seats passed along a rumor that WWE expects Rollins to wrestle one of the top matches at SummerSlam). He creates a headache for the writing staff, because his promos and his facial expressions scream “traditional heel,” but his move set and athleticism are impossible not to cheer (that elbow he dropped on Brock Lesnar at the 2015 Royal Rumble was absolutely incredible).

Honestly, I don’t really care how the WWE books him, because I just want to watch him work again. He should enter a program with Roman Reigns right away, but afterward he can work with A.J. Styles, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Generico, Cesaro, even Bray Wyatt.

I hope it’s “Paper Thin Walls” by Modest Mouse.

Andy.mccullough@latimes.com

Twitter: @McCulloughTimes