Matt Beaty is another player waiting in the shadows for playtime
Matt Beaty has been a utility player for the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2019 and has played left field, right field, third base, and first base. Beaty is 27-years-old and is a left-handed hitter just like Edwin Rios.
Beaty does not have as much pop as Rios does, but he has shown glimpses of being a solid MLB hitter. In his 2019 rookie season, he finished the season with a .265 batting average, hitting nine home runs and a surprising 46 RBI. Beaty drove in those 46 runs in just 99 games which is pretty impressive. But, when all said in done, Justin Turner is more of an offensive threat than Beaty.
In the 2020 regular season, he played in 21 games out of 60, batting .220 and hitting only two home runs. For me, Rios has a much higher ceiling and would be the lead candidate over Beaty to take over the third base position. Although, Beaty is just 27-years-old and the Dodgers could help Beaty transform his offense. They did that with Chris Taylor who surged onto the scene after being acquired from the Seattle Mariners where his offensive output was minimal.
Beaty does outplay Rios in defense which is one of the reasons why he has been useful for Dave Roberts as a jack-of-all-trades. The difficult thing for the Dodgers is the first three alternatives (Muncy, Rios, and Beaty) are all left-handed hitters. So you cannot platoon Rios, Beaty, or Muncy which could have been an ideal situation if they hit from the opposite sides of the plate. The Los Angeles Dodgers could also look externally into the free-agent market to replace Turner if he is not invited back.