When the Dodgers broke spring training camp back on April 1, chances are there wasn’t a Dodger fan on the planet who wasn’t disappointed that utility infielder / outfielder Chris Taylor, utility first baseman / outfielder Cody Bellinger and, to a lesser extent, outfielder Brett Eibner were not on the team’s opening day roster. I mean, all Taylor did was hit .354 with an on-base percentage of .483, Bellinger two home runs with 11 RBIs and Eibner .306 with 10 RBIs. But alas, all three found themselves on the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers opening day roster instead of the LA Dodgers opening day roster.

Sure enough, it took all of 16 games for Taylor and Eibner to be called up to the Dodgers on April 19 and all of 21 games for Bellinger to be called up on April 25. And even though Eibner would be optioned back to OKC three times before being recalled again on Friday afternoon to fill the roster vacancy created when Dodgers star third baseman Justin Turner landed on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring he suffered the night before, there is a decent chance that Eibner, Taylor and Bellinger won’t be having dinner in Oklahoma City again anytime soon, and probably never again for the latter two.

In his first at-bat on Friday night, Eibner, whom the Dodgers acquired in an off-season trade with the Oakland A’s in exchange for minor league infielder Jordan Tarsovich, slugged his second home run as a Dodger (his first was on May 13 against the Rockies at Coors Field) and the eighth of his to-this-point part time two-year MLB career. In fact, in his combined 15 plate appearances thus far over his four call-ups this season, the 28-year-old San Diego, California native and former 2010 second-round draft pick out of the University of Arkansas (by the Kansas City Royals) is 4-for-13 (.308), with two of those four hits being home runs. And while this is most definitely a very small sample size, it equates to an alien-like .769 slugging percentage and a ridiculous 1.169 OPS.

Brett Eibner has four hits as a Dodger. Two of them have been home runs, including this two-run shot on Friday night. (Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

As for Chris Taylor, the 26-year-old Virginia Beach, Virginia native and former 2012 fifth round draft pick out of the University of Virginia (by the Seattle Mariners) has been – in a word – phenomenal. The Dodgers acquired Taylor from the Mariners in exchange for former first rounder Zach Lee on June 19, 2016. In his 93 plate appearance thus far this season, Taylor is 27-for-78 with a slash-line of .346 / .452 / .602 for an equally ridiculous 1.054 OPS. He also (now) has five home runs, five doubles and has driven in 16 runs.

Chris Taylor doubled in the first inning on Friday night, slugged this solo home run in the third inning and singled to right in the fourth inning to finish the night a triple shy of the cycle. Needless to say, he absolutely must be in the Dodgers lineup every day. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

And then there’s Cody Bellinger. Even though the 21-year-old Scottsdale, Arizona native and son of former major leaguer Clay Bellinger has seen his batting average dip below .300 for the first time this season (to .291), he is tied with Yasiel Puig for the team lead in home runs at eight and trails Puig’s team-leading 24 RBIs by one. But perhaps even more important than his powerful bat is his red hot glove – both at first base and in the outfield. This became a huge factor last week when Dodgers everyday left fielder Andrew Toles was lost for the season due to a torn ACL in his right knee. Whereas it once appeared that Bellinger might be optioned back to OKC (which may have cause riots in Los Angeles), it now appears that the 6′-4″ / 210-pound utility first baseman / outfielder will stay with the big club even with the return of 34-year-old / 14-year MLB veteran first baseman Adrian Gonzalez from the disabled list for a herniated disk in his back.

There isn’t much more that can be said about Cody Bellinger that hasn’t already been said. His eighth-inning two-run home run on Friday night now has him tied with Yasiel Puig for the team lead at eight each. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

So there they are – the three guys who Dodger fans wanted on their team’s opening day roster are now on the roster, and all three are raking.

…but what the heck do we know anyway.