Why Dodgers havent called up one of their top prospects for World Series push

Two times in the last two weeks, the Dodgers have had the chance to bring up one of their highly touted outfield prospects for the stretch run of the year.Both times, however, they opted for different –– and, at least initially, somewhat curious –– roster moves to reinforce their late-season lineup.First, there were the team’s September call-ups when rosters expanded at the beginning of the month.They summoned infielder Alex Freeland over other options such as breakout triple-A star James Tibbs III.

They activated catcher Dalton Rushing off the injured list, bringing him back for strictly hitting duties as he battled a slight tear in an elbow ligament.This past weekend, Rushing’s return to the IL after a flare-up of his elbow provided another opportunity for the Dodgers to shake up the roster.Once again, they needed a left-handed bat off the bench.Once again, they could have considered Tibbs (who has 28 home runs and a .952 OPS in triple-A this year) or perhaps Josue De Paula (their top-ranked prospect who has 26 home runs and a .942 OPS in double-A this year) or even Ryan Ward (the long-time minor-leaguer who did hit three home runs in just 55 MLB at-bats earlier this year, but is also mired in a two-week slump in triple-A right now, batting .115 over his last 16 games).Instead, the club chose a surprise alternative, tapping Eliezer Alfonzo to be a third catcher –– and effectively freeing up primary backstops Will Smith and Hunter Feduccia to be pinch-hitters on the days they don’t start.A major jolt, it was not.However, both manager Dave Roberts and general manager Brandon Gomes have defended the moves in recent days, explaining a simple thought process that boiled down to trusting what was already on their MLB roster and not rocking the boat with the unknown of unproven, albeit talented, prospects this late in the year.“It’s just hard to predict what minor-league performance [will translate to up here],” Gomes told the California Post on...