Dodgers Must Find Way to Get Joc Pederson into Pennant Race Lineup

It's a good problem to have, but it's a problem nonetheless for the Los Angeles Dodgers: Joc Pederson needs to play. Unfortunately, or at least inconveniently, that means someone else needs to sit.

Backing up a bit: Before Pederson—L.A.'s hot prospect du jour and the recently minted Pacific Coast League MVP—was called up September 1, manager Don Mattingly indicated the 22-year-old wouldn't be in the mix for a starting gig.

"I'll use him like any other guy who comes up," Mattingly told SBNation's Eric Stephen on August 23. "I don't really plan on throwing him out there. It's a good experience. It will be good for him."

Yet, one day after Pederson arrived in the big leagues, he made his first start. He's started two games since and been featured in seven contests total since his call-up. So much for not throwing him out there. 

The Dodgers outfield is an interesting conundrum. Andre Ethier is in the midst of a disappointing season, hitting just .248 with four home runs. Carl Crawford has again battled injuries. And Matt Kemp, despite showing flashes of his potent past, hasn't been a consistent force.

Danny Moloshok/Associated Press

Yasiel Puig remains the best of the bunch, though he's dealt with his own struggles, hitting just .200 over the last week with zero extra-base hits while battling a stomach illness, per CBSSports.com.

Enter Pederson, the rising blue chipper and a potential shot in the arm for a club with its sights set squarely on October.

Granted, Pederson hasn't lit the league on fire during his limited audition. After hitting .303 with 33 home runs and 30 stolen bases for Triple-A Albuquerque, Pederson has managed just two singles in 18 plate appearances with the Dodgers.

Probably that's why Mattingly decided to tap the brakes on his phenom, sitting him the last two games, including all but one plate appearance in Tuesday night's 6-3 loss to the San Diego Padres (he pinch-hit in the seventh and fouled out).

It was not a bad call, but the Dodgers shouldn't grind the Pederson experiment to a halt.

This kid simply has too much latent talent to let him ride the pine, while players with lower ceilings gobble up at-bats. 

Pederson has the potential (unproven, yes) to be more dynamic than any Dodgers outfielder outside of Puig. And he's arguably the only true center fielder on the team.

"You want to try and play your best defense," Mattingly told Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times on September 6, when he put Pederson in center in favor of Ethier.

"Andre and I have talked about this. I know it’s not a great situation for him," Mattingly continued. "There are so many spots for so many guys."

This isn't the first time L.A. has dealt with controversy in the outfield. Various players have grumbled about playing time throughout the season. 

"They tell us one thing and something else happens," Crawford said of the outfield shuffle on June 9 (via the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin). "We can't go by what they say. It's been frustrating for all of us..."

That talk died down once the Dodgers started winning. Now, with Pederson in the mix, bruised egos could resurface.

Dilbeck spells out the perils:

"

This is an interesting gamble, and make no mistake, that’s exactly what it is. I don’t care if you buy Mattingly’s spiel about Pederson being their only true center fielder, playing the completely unproven Pederson at the major league level during the stretch drive over Ethier is a risk. You can’t trust Pederson because you can’t be certain what you’re going to get. 

"

True enough. The youngster could flame out under the bright lights. Or he could be a revelation.

As the Dodgers push to make good on their massive payroll, avenge last season's NLCS defeat and hoist their first Commissioner's Trophy in a quarter-century, isn't it worth the gamble?

Joc Pederson is a good problem to have. And it's time for L.A. to settle on a solution.