Javy Guerra has been optioned to AAA after a rough spring in which he dealt with injury and had been limited to just a couple of appearances. The Dodgers have a deep pen and, with Guerra’s injuries and struggles, he was going to have to excel during Spring Training to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Tony Gwynn Jr. was also assigned to AAA Albuquerque. Gwynn was one of the few guys with the ability to backup Matt Kemp and previous big-league experience doing so, but the move reinforces just how little Tony can swing the lumber and the fact that the Dodgers clearly have faith that Carl Crawford will be healthy enough to serve as the number two center fielder.

Shawn Tolleson and Justin Sellers were optioned to AAA, while Jesus Flores was reassigned to minor-league camp. Additionally, Chris Withrow was optioned to minor-league camp along with Juan Abreu and Wilkin Castillo.

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The team released three players in Dallas McPherson, Ramon Castro, and Nick Evans.

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On the flip side of things, the team has signed Dashenko Ricardo of Curacao to a contract after Dashenko participated in the World Baseball Classic.

Along with Ricardo came the signings of Dominican prospects Dennis Santana and Carlos Aquino – both shortstops – and lefty Cesar Romero.

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Tim Federowicz has probably locked up the job of backing up A.J. Ellis with the removal of Jesus Flores from major-league camp.

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Greg Zakwin is the founder of the site Plaschke Thy Sweater Is Argyle. Follow him on Twitter @ArgyledPlaschke.

The Dodgers have signed former Braves righty reliever Peter Moylan and former Nationals backstop Jesus Flores to minor-league deals with invitations to Spring Training.

Flores has shown enough flashes that he could feasibly challenge for the backup job should Tim Federowicz falter, though he’s almost certainly going to spend the majority of the season in Albuquerque. Moylan figures to be minor-league depth who could fill in should an injury to one of the major-league guys occur. If you couldn’t tell, the team is all about stockpiling depth at this point.

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The Dodgers have signed three more Dominican 17-year-old projects following their inking of Ariel Sandoval. Joining Sandoval are Deivy Castillo (OF), Ravel Hernandez (SS), and Miguel Urena (RHP).

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Greg Zakwin is the founder of the site Plaschke Thy Sweater Is Argyle. Follow him on Twitter @ArgyledPlaschke.