The Dodgers have assigned to Minor League camp Kelvin De La Cruz, Nick Evans, Ozzie Martinez and Dallas McPherson. Dodgers.com

— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) March 4, 2013

It’s not a shocker that these four weren’t going to make the Major League roster.

Dallas McPherson along with three other non-roster players are sent to minor league camp. Photo: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas McPherson, the left-hand hitting third baseman, was especially cringe worthy in his 13 at-bats during Spring Training so far. The non-roster invitee who was previously part of the Chicago White Sox system, hit just .154 with 2 hits and 7 strikeouts in 8 games.

Nick Evans, first base, collected one more hit than McPherson with 3 in 12 at-bats with the Dodgers this Spring. His .250 average over the course of 8 games didn’t impress, and even though the Dodgers are in need of a back-up for Adrian Gonzalez at first base, Nick Evans will decidedly not be that said player.

Osvaldo Martinez, a shortstop, is the third infielder the Dodgers have chosen to send over to the minor league side. In his 9 Spring at-bats, Ozzie has hit .111 with 1 hit.

The Dodgers also chose to cut lefty Kelvin De La Cruz whose Spring ERA of 21.60 speaks for itself. He has only pitched in 1 2/3 innings thus far with the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch, but he’s allowed 4 earned runs on 3 hits with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts.

It isn’t necessarily the end of the line for these players who may end up within the Dodger minor league system, yet you have to wonder if any of these NRIs will be seen in a Dodger uniform ever again. The chances are pretty slim.

After cutting three infielders and with Hanley Ramirez, Luis Cruz, and Adrian Gonzalez participating in the World Baseball Classic, there will be more playing time for the remaining infielders. Dee Gordon, Elian Herrera, Justin Sellers, and the remaining non-roster players like Brian Barden, Omar Luna, and super utility guy Alfredo Amezaga will get some extra playing time.

Dallas McPherson is familiar with Camelback Ranch since he has played with the White Sox who share the facility with the Dodgers. Photo: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Last season he split time between the AAA affiliates for the Chicago White Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates were he hit a combined .265 with 17 homeruns and 62 RBIs in 81 games. Interestingly enough, McPherson played for Albuquerque in 2008 when they were the AAA affiliates of the Florida Marlins, and he excelled that season hitting .275 with 42 homeruns and 98 RBIs. Dallas has played in 139 Major League games sporadically between 2004 and 2011. His last big league time came in 2011 with the Chicago White Sox where he played in 11 games and only collected two hits while striking out 7 times in 15  plate appearances. He only hit a cumulative .241 in his 446 Major League plate appearances for three different teams (the Angels, Marlins, and White Sox). That was disappointing considering he had once been a top prospect for the Angels. Injuries plagued him, and he missed the entirety of the 2007 and 2009 seasons and parts of others.

McPherson will likely get an invitation to Major League Spring Training camp for

McPherson was once a top power hitting prospect. Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

the Dodgers. He should be slotted to play third base for the Isotopes. It’s still looking like Luis Cruz will be starting at third base for the Dodgers in 2013 barring any spectacular showing from Dallas or surprise signing by the Dodgers. More depth at third base is always welcomed since that means that there’s even less of a reason to hang on to Juan Uribe. The Albuquerque Isotopes still have some holes to fill especially in their rotation. Right now Stephen Fife and Matt Magill are their only two for sure starters after John Ely was traded to Houston this week. We can most likely expect the Dodgers to try to sign some more minor leaguers in the coming weeks, and we are still on alert for a possible trade to land a left-handed reliever or back up first baseman for the big club which is sorely needed. The Dodgers have yet to deal Aaron Harang or Chris Capuano. The Dodgers currently have 39 men on their 40-man roster.