Another Round of Cuts Sends Sellers, Tolleson, and Flores to Minor League Camp

The Dodgers continued to trim the roster on Tuesday.  Justin Sellers, Shawn Tolleson, and Jesus Flores were all sent to Minor League camp. Sellers and Tolleson were optioned, and catcher Jesus Flores was reassigned. With Flores gone from Major League camp, we can now officially declare Tim Federowicz the backup catcher to A.J. Ellis. This was not something that was surprising, yet some thought that one of the other backstops could have impressed enough in camp to possibly win the spot. I thought FedEx was the ultimate choice all along, and I’m looking forward to seeing him play and give A.J. a rest every now and then. The remaining catchers in Major League camp are A.J. Ellis, FedEx, and Matt Wallach.

Tim Federowicz will be the Dodgers’ second catcher for 2013. Photo: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Flores played in 13 games with the Dodgers this Spring, and he was hitting .056 with 4 strikeouts and a lone hit in 18 at-bats.

Justin Sellers, who was arrested this past offseason for riding his motorcycle amongst the Northern Californian Dodgers haters, also was behind this Spring due to a hurt toe and a bout of the flu. Sellers had been trying to return to the team after suffering a back injury when he made a highlight reel catch last season and fell into the stands at Dodger Stadium. Sellers played in 13 games this Spring, and he was hitting .150 with 5 strikeouts and 3 hits in 20 at-bats.

Shawn Tolleson also had a few small injuries this Spring. He fell behind depth wise since the Dodgers have so many pitchers and few precious bullpen spots open. The right-hander pitched in 7 games for the Dodgers this Spring, and he had a 1.35 ERA with 6 strikeouts and 2 walks in 6 2/3 innings.

The Dodgers have whittled it down to 40 players in Major League camp which include the last 5 non-roster invites. Kevin Gregg, Mark Lowe, Peter Moylan, Matt Wallach, and Alfredo Amezaga are the last NRIs standing.