When the Dodgers broke spring training camp back on April 1, there were a lot of fans that were upset that 26-year-old utility infielder Chris Taylor was not on the team’s opening day roster. After all, all Taylor did during spring training was hit .354 (17-for-48) in the 22 games in which he played, with a .483 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage for a .983 OPS – second highest on the team to only third baseman Justin Turner (.984) among players appearing in 20 or more spring training games.

Yet because Taylor had little experience in center field and despite his far superior offensive numbers, the Dodgers instead added Kiké Hernandez to their opening day roster over Taylor; this even though Hernandez had a spring training slash-line of .189 / .302 / .270 for a dismal OPS of .573. But hey, spring training games are “meaningless games,” right?

Through the first 32 games of the 2017 season of which Hernandez has played in 26, he is hitting .228 with a .297 OBP and .509 SLG for an OPS of .806 – definitely anything but stellar numbers. And even though he has hit eight doubles, one triple, two home runs and 11 RBIs, he is not the best utility player on the team.

So who is, you ask?

Why Chris Taylor of course, even though he wasn’t called up to the Dodgers until April 19 – a full 16 games into the new season and only because of an injury to Dodgers everyday second baseman Logan Forsythe.

Here again, all Taylor has done in the 16 games in which he has played is hit a team-high .395 (15-for-38) with a team-high .521 on-base percentage and a .684 slugging percentage (second only to Cody Bellinger‘s .707 SLG) for an insane team-high OPS of 1.205. He has hit two doubles, three home runs (including his second career grand slam on Monday night) and has driven in 12 while playing in exactly half of the number of games that Kiké Hernandez has played.

As if he even needed to, Chris Taylor proved yet again on Monday night that he absolutely must stay up with the Dodgers even when Logan Forsythe returns from the DL. (Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

The point here is not to pile on Hernandez, heaven knows he has had his moments both offensively and defensively. The point is simply that Chris Taylor is a better all-around baseball player than Hernandez, plain and simple.

The problem is, when Forsythe is ready to come off the disabled list – which according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will not happen until after the upcoming four-game series against the Rockies in Colorado and the three-game series against the Giants in San Francisco – what do the Dodgers do with Taylor? How on earth can they justify sending their best hitter back down to Triple-A Oklahoma City? Ditto for Dodgers phenom rookie first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger?

Although it is a long-standing and well-accepted practice for teams to immediately allow their so-called regulars back in their lineup upon their return from the disabled list, sending your two best offensive bats back to the minors is akin to shooting yourself in the foot.

Somehow and in someway Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. general manager Farhan Zaidi and Dave Roberts must, absolutely must find a way to keep Chris Taylor and Cody Bellinger not only on their 25-man roster, but also in their everyday lineup.

…or else.