Dodgers’ injuries keep 51s roster in limbo

Fri, Mar 25, 2005 (9:23 a.m.)

C -- Dioner Navarro, Mike Rose

1B -- Brian Myrow

2B -- Willie Aybar

SS -- Jose Flores, Tony Schrager

3B -- Mike Edwards, Nick Theodorou

OF -- Chin-Feng Chen, Cody Ross, Henri Stanley

Las Vegas 51s manager Jerry Royster has worked his way back to Triple-A camp at the Dodgers' spring training complex in Vero Beach, Fla.

Now, he just needs a team to join him.

"There's just not that many guys that are here" at minor league camp, Royster said. "It would probably have been better for me if I had stayed with the major league team. That's where the bulk of my team is. It's where both of my potential catchers are, that's where the outfielders are, and where the middle infielders are.

"I think my entire starting rotation, other than maybe (Joel) Hanrahan, are up there."

The Dodgers' roster has been hit hard by spring training injuries, most notably pitchers Eric Gagne and Brad Penny and outfielder Jason Werth.

That means the bulk of the 2005 Las Vegas 51s are still with the big leaguers at Holman Stadium.

Werth's broken wrist could put him on the injured list to start the 2005 season, and Jason Repko is hitting .404 in 47 at-bats this spring. Repko, who hit .311 in 75 games last year with Las Vegas, could start this season at the big leagues.

"He (Repko) can play in that league. There's no doubt he's ready to go," Royster said. "With Jason Werth just not healthy, somebody's got to go there. It'll be him or Cody Ross as far as that goes. We may have both of them or we may have one or none."

One player who has joined Royster at minor league camp is second baseman Willy Aybar, a switch hitter who moved to second from third last year, his first season at Double-A.

While at Jacksonville, Aybar hit .276 with a club-leading 77 RBIs. Defensively he flourished in the move, committing just 15 errors in 125 games.

Likely returning to the 51s this season will be Chin-Feng Chen, Cody Ross, Nick Theodorou, Jose Flores and Henri Stanley. Newcomers will probably include catchers Dioner Navarro and Mike Rose, third baseman Mike Edwards and middle infielder Tony Schrager.

"It looks like we're going to be solid," Royster said. "We're going to be OK. Our team there will be a nice team full of guys that need to be ready to go at any time. They're ready to start their major league careers."

Many players also have out clauses in their contracts that would enable them to look for another team if they don't make the major league roster. But with the 51s' opener at Colorado Springs now two weeks away, very little is official 51s-wise at Dodgertown.

"(Pitching coach) Roger McDowell is turning gray, he's got to put together a rotation to start the season, and that's hard to do when you don't know who's going to be there," Royster said. "I'm just concentrating on our Las Vegas team, jotting down names and trying to see if I can make them work."

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