With Hanley out, here are his brutal replacements

It hasn't been made official yet, but it's only a matter of time before the Dodgers announce that Hanley Ramirez will go on the 15-day DL with a hamstring injury.  It's a tough break for him and the Dodgers, who desperately need his bat in the lineup.

The early word is that Dee Gordon will be brought back up to fill his spot.  It's not so much that he deserves to be up, but more because the Dodgers have some awful players on their roster as it is, so they have to give it a shot.

Speaking of those awful players, let's take a look at those players who could see increased at-bats in Hanley's absence.

Dee Gordon
(With Triple-A Albuquerque) 25 G, .319 AVG, .397 OBP, 0 HR, 12 RBI, 14 SB
We all know the story of Gordon, who was great in his appearance at the end of the 2011 season, couldn't get on base or stay healthy last season, and began this season in the minors.  As you can see, at least he's playing pretty well down on the farm, as he's finding ways to get on base and has only been caught stealing twice.  But, he once again is struggling with the leather, as he has eight errors in 25 games.  That just won't get it done at the big league level.  If he wants to get to LA and stay there, that has to get better.

Nick Punto
20 G, .386 AVG, .471 OBP, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1 SB
About the only part-time player who's given Dodger fans any confidence has been Punto.  He plays hard and can get it done defensively at multiple positions.  He certainly won't give any help in the power department with 15 home runs in 13 seasons, but that's not his game.

Jerry Hairston
18 G, .234 AVG, .275 OBP, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB
I like how hard Hairston plays, but once again, it's another example of someone getting all sorts of playing time with little results.  In 47 AB's, he has two extra-base hits.  There's just nothing special he brings to the plate anymore.

Justin Sellers
23 G, .194 AVG, .270 OBP, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB
Awful, just awful.  He was the surprise Opening Day starter at short, and has shown everybody why he completely didn't deserve it.  Absolutely no pop in his bat, and just an eyesore to watch.

Luis Cruz
22 G, .098 AVG, .125 OBP, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB
I can make the case that of all the players who receive regular or semi-regular playing time, Cruz is the worst.  In 61 official at-bats, he has six hits.  Think about that.  SIX FREAKIN' HITS.  That is so horrendous and embarrassing, I don't even know what else to say.

Skip Schumaker
23 G, .119 AVG, .288 OBP, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB
Schumaker was brought to the Dodgers on the advice of hitting coach Mark McGwire, who had some success with him in St. Louis.  Well, that success must have never made the plane ride over from Missouri, as Schumaker has been pathetic.  He's slugging .143, too.  That says it all right there.

Juan Uribe
17 G, .200 AVG, .391 OBP, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB
The average is no surprise, but the on-base is a pleasant surprise.  Not that it matters because he hasn't stolen a base since 2011 with a whopping two.  The fact that after his first two seasons of miserable baseball in LA he's still receiving at-bats is a perfect reflection of just how bad the Dodgers are offensively.  And how desperate they are for somebody to step up.

Bottom Line:
I wouldn't be opposed to Gordon getting the call-up, as with the exception of Punto, everybody else has no business whatsoever of getting Major League at-bats.  In a perfect world, Sellers and Cruz would be sent packing to Triple-A, or just flat out DFA'd.  Because of injuries, that's probably not going to happen.  Schumaker should also be a goner, but will be given a longer leash because of his track record.  I've already accepted the fact that Uribe isn't going anywhere because of his contract, so that's just the way it is.

On second thought, maybe Cruz will play short

After news broke of Hanley Ramirez missing two months with a torn thumb ligament, the speculation quickly turned to who will take his place.  One option was to keep Luis Cruz at third and play the likes of Dee Gordon, Jerry Hairston, and Nick Punto at short.  The other was to move Cruz to short, while Hairston, Punto, and Juan Uribe play thrid.

I thought for sure that Cruz would stay in his spot at third while the others filled in at short. 

Naturally, I thought wrong.

At least it sure appears that way, as Don Mattingly seems to be favoring moving Cruz back to short.  In 23 starts at short (24 total appearances) with the Dodgers last season, he compiled a great .981 fielding %, with only 2 errors in 104 total chances.  He's also had much success in short stints with the Pirates and Brewers in the past.

So, it's not hard to see why Donny Baseball likes Cruz to move over a slot, because he's shown to be very capable of pulling it off.  Throw in the fact that he's hitting .308 this spring with four homers, and that he played very well in the World Baseball Classic (when he wasn't inciting bench-clearing brawls), and you can see why he needs to be in the lineup no matter where he is on defense.

Now that leaves the aforementioned other three guys to man the hot corner.  Whom should it be?  Well, Hairston has a career .893 fielding % in 19 games manning the hot corner, Punto is at .908% in 40 games, and Uribe is at .964 in 259 games.  The advantage in career stats is with Uribe.

But this is also the same Juan Uribe who hit .204 in 2011 and .191 last season with the Dodgers.  So ya... I don't see him starting everyday at third.  Sadly, he probably will get some time there, and that's just something we all have to deal with.  I fully expect Hairston and Punto to get the majority of time there, though.  As well they should be.

Jerry Hairston - your latest veteran utility man

The Dodgers don't have a lot of resources when it comes to signing free agents. So rather than going after the big dogs like Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, or Jose Reyes, Ned Colletti has filled in the blanks with veteran role players.

The newest example was Monday's signing of Jerry Hairstron, Jr., who agreed to a two-year, $6 million deal. He'll fill in the spot vacated by Jamey Carroll of ultimate utility man, able to play both infield and outfield whenever called upon.

Hairston split time between the Nationals and Brewers last season, hitting a combined .270 with five homers and 31 RBIs. He really came on late in the year as part of the Brew Crew's postseason run, taking over the third base spot and hitting .385 with a .422 OBP in 39 at-bats. Not too shabby for a guy expected to play off the bench.

Like I said before, his greatest quality is the ability to play practically any spot on defense. Last season he spent some amount of time at second, third, short, left, and center for both teams. It's nice to know that you can put him in and not miss a beat in up to six positions on the field. He's made a career out of that.

Much like the deals with Mark Ellis and Adam Kennedy, these are by no means major happenings. But, the Dodgers got some good production last year from Aaron Miles and Jamey Carroll, so there was a need to replace them considering the youth of Dee Gordon and Justin Sellers. Mix the vets with the young guns, and hope everyone pushes each other to get better.

Plus, it's the best Colletti can do considering the money he has... or money he doesn't have.