Michael Busch may be one of the most important new players in Los Angeles this year.

The offseason so far has seen a plethora of major league departures from the Dodgers, including Trea Turner, Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger. All three were everyday players for the majority of 2022 and will leave at-bats to be filled.

A first round pick in 2019, Busch had his best season as a pro last year. Between Double-A and Triple-A, he slugged 32 home runs and tallied an organization-leading 108 RBI. Having now turned 25 years old, the time is now for Busch to break through to the majors.

It appeared that the path was set for Busch to get significant playing time immediately to start the year. As Justin Turner’s free agency wore on and it appeared less likely he would be back, the infield and/or DH spot seemed ripe for Busch. Instead, the Dodgers’ signing of full-time DH J.D. Martinez could provide a roadblock to Busch.

With Miguel Vargas slated as a lock for the Opening Day roster, Busch could find himself in a jammed situation of sharing second base and third base between himself, Vargas and Max Muncy. Vargas and Busch both saw limited time in left field last season, but neither has played more than 30 career games in the outfield.

Even if Busch has left field as an option defensively, he still would have to compete for the spot with Chris Taylor, Trayce Thompson, James Outman and any other depth the Dodgers may pick up.

This might limit Busch to a platoon or bench role to start, but he would surely be one of the first players relied on once injuries inevitably strike. His left-handed power bat and disciplined approach have drawn many comparisons to Max Muncy. As the Dodgers have lost stars and depth players are given bigger roles, players like Busch will also be moved up the pecking order.

The possibility always stands that Busch could be traded to sure up another spot such as center field or the rotation. However, Busch is viewed highly by the Dodgers, and they would not deal him unless they got a significant piece in return.

Busch is viewed by many as good enough to be an everyday player in the majors at some point. His bat is solid all around, and he has played a serviceable second base. Although the Dodgers’ moves this offseason haven’t cleared a path for him to reach that right away, he is a good bet to bring a positive impact to the team in some capacity for years to come.