Howie Kendrick could play third base for the Dodgers this year
Second baseman Howie Kendrick is returning to Los Angeles for the 2016 season, but he might be moving around a bit this season.
At the Dodgers' FanFest on Saturday, new manager Dave Roberts revealed to reporters that he plans to play Kendrick at third base this year.
"We're definitely going to dice it up," Roberts said of the Dodgers' infield rotation. "Howie is definitely open to playing some third, playing some second. We might move him around a little bit. The guys are open to it."
Los Angeles re-signed Kendrick to a two-year, $20-million deal on Friday after he pieced together a solid first year with the club in 2015, hitting .295/.336/.409 with nine home runs and 54 RBI in 117 games.
While the 32-year-old veteran infielder has played other positions during his 10-year career, including first base (78 games) and even the outfield (27 games), Kendrick has only played one major-league game at third base, which was with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2006.
Prior to re-signing Kendrick, the Dodgers re-signed 37-year-old second baseman Chase Utley and acquired prospect Micah Johnson from the Chicago White Sox in a three-team deal that sent former Cincinnati Reds third baseman Todd Frazier to the Sox.
With a surplus of second basemen and no true back-up for third baseman Justin Turner, both Kendrick and Utley likely will be regulars at the hot corner this year.
"We feel like we have a lot of at-bats to go around," president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said, "and a lot of really talented players that we want to make sure stay fresh, get a lot of at-bats and remain a part of the fabric of our team."
