As is normally the case, when pitchers and catchers report for spring training, so do nearly all of the position players. In fact, a good many of them have already been at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona for as many as two or three weeks before pitchers and catchers officially reported last Tuesday … with one exception – 26-year-old Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles, who was suspiciously absent from the Dodgers clubhouse this past week and even more so on Monday morning when position players “officially” reported for camp.

Shortly after clubhouse doors were open to the media on Monday morning, word quickly spread that the extremely popular Decatur, Georgia native was not – and will not be – in camp anytime soon.

As noted, Toles has been in contact with the team and is being given their full support. And while rumors and speculation will undoubtedly run rampant (given Toles’ history of being suspended or released from every team he ever played for), the prudent thing to do is to refrain from spreading such rumors and speculation until (or if) the Dodgers – or Toles himself – choose to make the situation public, which more than likely isn’t going to happen.

The sad part to all of this is that the extremely popular 5′-9″ / 192-pound outfielder was on the cusp of earning at least a platooning role on the Dodgers 25-man roster this spring. But with (currently) five outfielders listed on the Dodgers 40-man roster and another six non-roster invitee outfielders in camp, Toles in now in danger of not only not making the team’s 25-man Opening Day roster, but also in danger of being dropped from the team’s 40-man roster entirely or (dare I say it) released from the team entirely.

Stay tuned…

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