Ramona Shelburne of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that Doug Mientkiewicz "seems to have played himself into contention for a spot on the Dodgers' Opening Day roster."
Just a month ago, Mientkiewicz was pondering retirement. Now he's being viewed as an ideal left-handed pinch hitting option for a squad with legitimate playoff aspirations.
"Doug's certainly got our attention," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said Friday. "I told him, `If somebody else sees you and you and you get an opportunity to play someplace else that's fine.' But he just won't let up. As Yogi (Berra) would say, he's trying to make himself necessary."
Mientkiewicz is hitting .300/.371/.700 this spring with two home runs and 11 RBI in 30 at-bats. Plus, he has one of the wildest player portraits on all of MLB.com.
