Dodgers have run out of margin for error

The Dodgers are running on fumes at the moment, just trying to get through the three more games they have on their schedule to get to the All-Star break. That series is in Detroit against the Tigers, and if there was a way for the Dodgers to win one and a half of those games, they probably would.

After all, the team is 14-14 dating back to June 9, or if you want to go back to May 21, the Dodgers are 22-22.

One win against the Tigers would represent improvement after getting outclassed by the Phillies, running the Dodgers losing streak to four games. But this isn’t necessarily about this week. Every time looks like the worst team in the world for a stretch during a season. It’ll happen.

This is more about the Dodgers’ vaunted depth simply running out.

Sirens went off this week, and rightfully so, when Tyler Glasnow landed on the injured list with lower back tightness. Even if this was more of a workload management move, things were exacerbated when Bobby Miller hit his low point, getting torched for nine runs on Tuesday before getting optioned on Wednesday.

The Dodgers only have four active starters at the moment — they will deploy a bullpen game Sunday, emblematic of how much the relievers have been worked for the last month and a half — and one of them is Justin Wrobleski, who was going to be optioned after his major league debut Sunday but instead will stick around.

River Ryan has moved himself into consideration for the next starter up, but he’s really the last of the MLB-ready prospects the Dodgers can turn to right now. Clayton Kershaw is still a few weeks away at least, Miller has joined Walker Buehler in the “need to figure things out” category before returning, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s rotator cuff will likely sideline him well into August, if not longer.

The cupboard is bare, such that starting pitcher has nestled its way higher and higher on the Dodgers needs when it comes to the July 30 trade deadline. But that’s not their only need.

Mookie Betts breaking a bone in his left hand was obviously a huge blow, and it’s no surprise the Dodgers aren’t playing as well without him. The team’s first four games without Betts were at Coors Field, but since then the Dodgers are averaging 4.35 runs over their last 17 games (including eight games of three or fewer runs), compared 4.90 runs per game when Betts was active.

Max Muncy has been out even longer with a strained oblique, having last played on May 15. Dodgers third basemen without him are hitting a paltry .149/.235/.244 with four home runs and four doubles in 49 games.

There’s no reason to expect either Betts or Muncy to return before August, so we’ve got essentially two and a half weeks of games left to play with, let’s call it a reduced Dodgers offensive attack.

Simply put, the Dodgers have between two and four easy outs in their lineup basically every game, given the current composition of the roster. There’s no other way to put it.

Here are seasonal numbers for a handful of players, counting only their time with the Dodgers, sorted by plate appearances:

• Gavin Lux: .214/.267/.298, 266 PA, 63 wRC+
• Kiké Hernández: .193/.262/.289, 206 PA, 61 wRC+
• Chris Taylor: .156/.277/.259, 160 PA, 62 wRC+
• James Outman: .158/.257/.267, 136 PA, 56 wRC+
• Cavan Biggio: .189/.286/.270, 43 PA, 68 wRC+

All are roughly at or below replacement level, and they’ve accounted for 22.2 percent of all Dodgers plate appearances this season. That’s basically two full lineup spots, and probably a little more since they’ve been concentrated at the bottom of the order, which over time has fewer PA than higher in the order.

The Dodgers very obviously need to add one or two hitters, at a minimum, in addition to the returning injured players. Once Muncy gets back he’ll be at third, and Betts’ versatility gives the Dodgers more positional options when it comes to trades. When Jason Heyward returns from his knee injury, he likely is a direct replacement of Outman.

But they can still do some things in the interim, considering Betts and Muncy will still be a while before returning.

Cavan Biggio is being used like someone who the Dodgers don’t really want to play, having started just once in the last 10 games, only batting 10 times during that span. Of the not-hitting quintet above, Biggio brings the least defensive value. He can be designated for assignment, whether it’s to make room for another scour of the waiver wire, or to bring up more of a bat-first option from Triple-A.

Andre Lipcius fits the bill here, having played third base and second base in addition to his time at first base plus occasional time in the corner outfield.

Last year at the All-Star break, the Dodgers optioned their replacement-level second baseman (Miguel Vargas) to the minors. That should be on the table here with Lux this season, too.

Yes, Lux homered on Thursday and also had a single, but those numbers are counted in his performance above. He’s provided good defense at second base, but he’s just not hitting at all. Even granting him the grace of knowing how difficult it must be in returning from knee reconstruction surgery, Lux hasn’t been good, even when limited to a platoon role. He can still figure things out in the minors, too.

Admittedly, I don’t even know who would necessarily replace Lux internally, but that’s kind of the point. He’s been right around replacement level all season, and maybe it’s time to put that very definition to the test.

The Dodgers also don’t have to, and very much shouldn’t wait until July 30 to make trades, either.

But no matter where the reinforcements come from, the Dodgers desperately need better options in the position player set. Because you can’t run out two-thirds of a lineup every single night and wonder why scoring is hard to come by.