Dodgers Add 10 to 40-Man Roster

The Dodgers purchased the contracts of outfielder Jamie Hoffmann, left-handers Victor Garate and Brent Leach, and right-handers Jesus Castillo and Travis Schlichting. The club also has reinstated from the 60-day disabled list infielder Tony Abreu, outfielder Andruw Jones, and right-handers Mario Alvarez, Yhency Brazoban, and Jason Schmidt. General Manager Ned Colletti made the announcement.

    Today, November 20, is the deadline for clubs to promote their Rule 5-eligible players to Major League status. Players who are not promoted are eligible to be selected by other teams in the Rule 5 Draft, which will take place on December 11 at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas.  

The Dodgers’ 40-man roster now stands at 38.   

Castillo, 24, went 7-4 with a 3.24 ERA in 23 starts with Double-A Jacksonville in 2009. He was a mid-season Southern League All-Star, and finished the year ranked third in the league in ERA.  The Dodgers’ 27th-round selection from the 2003 draft is currently pitching for Hermosillo of the Mexican Winter League. In four professional seasons, Castillo is 16-20 with a 3.73 ERA in 71 games (64 starts).   

Garate led the Dodger minor league system in 2009 with a 2.79 ERA and 150 strikeouts in a combined 116.0 innings with Single-A Great Lakes and Single-A Inland Empire. The 24-year-old Venezuelan, who was converted to a starter in mid-May, went 6-3 with a 1.85 ERA in 17 games (12 starts) with Great Lakes and 3-0 with a 4.70 ERA in seven starts with Inland Empire.  He was selected by the Dodgers in the minor league phase of the 2007 Rule 5 Draft from the Houston Astros. Garate is 23-6 with 11 saves and a 3.50 ERA in 107 minor league games (19 starts) in four seasons overall. He has logged 348 strikeouts in 262.1 innings, an average of 11.94 strikeouts per nine innings. Garate is currently playing for Caracas of the Venezuelan Winter League.   

Hoffmann was a mid-season Southern League All-Star in 2009 with Jacksonville, where he hit .278 with 10 homers, 71 RBI, and 28 steals in 133 games.  The 24-year-old, who was signed as a non-drafted free agent in September 2003, is currently playing for Surprise of the Arizona Fall League. He is a career .285 hitter with 90 steals in 559 minor league games. Hoffman has been rated by Baseball America as the best defensive outfielder in the Dodgers’ minor league system in each of the last three seasons.   

Leach went 2-3 with 15 saves and a 2.60 ERA in a combined 49 games with Inland Empire and Jacksonville in 2009. He began the year with Inland Empire, and was promoted to Jacksonville on June 1 for his Double-A debut.  The Mississippi native, who turned 26 years old on Tuesday, led Jacksonville with 12 saves while posting a 3.77 ERA in 40 appearances. He limited Southern League opponents to a .215 average, including a .210 mark (13-for-62) by left-handed hitters.  Leach is currently pitching for Surprise of the AFL. In four years as a pro, the Dodgers’ sixth-round pick from the 2005 draft is 14-12 with 20 saves and 2.90 ERA in 117 games (23 starts).   

Schlichting went 6-4 with a 3.77 ERA in 33 games with Jacksonville in 2009 after beginning the year in Extended Spring Training. The 24-year-old, who is now pitching for Surprise of the AFL, was signed as a free agent in October 2007 after pitching for Kansas City of the Independent Northern League in 2007. He was originally selected by Tampa Bay as a position player in the fourth round of the 2003 draft, and was traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in December 2005. Schlichting started pitching during the 2006 season with the Angels’ Arizona Summer League club.   

Abreu, Alvarez, Brazoban, Jones, and Schmidt all ended the 2009 regular season on the 60-day DL.  

The Dodgers’ 40-man roster:
 
  Pitchers (21)                   Catchers (4)
RHP Mario Alvarez       	Danny Ardoin
RHP Chad Billingsley 	        A.J. Ellis
RHP Yhency Brazoban 	        Russell Martin
RHP Jonathan Broxton  	        Lucas May
RHP Jesus Castillo
LHP Scott Elbert 	         Infielders (5)
LHP Victor Garate          	Tony Abreu
LHP Clayton Kershaw         	Angel Berroa
LHP Hong-Chih Kuo           	Blake DeWitt
RHP Hiroki Kuroda            	Chin-lung Hu
LHP Brent Leach           	James Loney
RHP James McDonald                        
LHP Greg Miller         	  Outfielders (8)
RHP Justin Orenduff          	Andre Ethier
RHP Scott Proctor             	Jamie Hoffmann
RHP Takashi Saito             	Andruw Jones
RHP Travis Schlichting     	Matt Kemp
RHP Jason Schmidt             	Xavier Paul
LHP Eric Stults               	Juan Pierre
RHP Ramon Troncoso             	Jason Repko
RHP Cory Wade             	Delwyn Young