Jackson

Ferris

The 21-year-old hurler struck out four batters on the day while issuing a pair of free passes. The only blemish on his day came on a solo homer off the bat of Taylor Ward. Ferris got six swings and misses on 62 pitches in the ballgame — two each on his fastball, slider and curveball — while registering a CSW of 26 percent. He’ll open the year as extra rotation depth for the Dodgers in the upper minor leagues.

The 23-year-old backstop doesn’t have much left to prove in the minor leagues, but with Will Smit and Austin Barnes holding things down at the game’s highest level, he’ll need to work his way into the crowded outfield mix in order to have any shot of breaking camp. He’ll be an intriguing option for fantasy purposes when he does finally arrive in Los Angeles, but it’ll probably take an injury to Smith or Barnes for it to happen. Roki Sasaki and Zyhir Hope also received official invitations to spring training on Friday.

Ferris, a 2022 second-round pick out of high school, was considered one of the Cubs’ most talented young arms; a 6-foot-4 southpaw, he throws in the mid-90s and had a 3.38 ERA and a 77/33 K/BB ratio in 56 innings in A-ball in his pro debut last season. He’ll likely open 2024 in high-A.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan has confirmed the return. This seems a little light to us, but perhaps Busch wasn’t as popular around the league after struggling in his initial audition for the Dodgers (.167/.247/.292 in 81 PA). Ferris, a 2022 second-round pick out of high school, had a 3.38 ERA and a 77/33 K/BB ratio in 56 innings in A-ball last season. Hope was an 11th-round pick last year, though he signed for third-round money.