With All-Stars Dee Gordon and Hanley Ramirez out of the picture in Los Angeles, the Dodgers will turn to 36-year-old Jimmy Rollins to hit leadoff this season, manager Don Mattingly told reporters on Tuesday .
"We don't truly have anyone else who fits in that role," Mattingly said.
Although Rollins is coming off a disappointing .243/.323/.394 showing at the plate last season, his worst since 2010, he is still a career .272/.331/.445 when batting first in his 15-year career and sports an impressive 103 runs scored per 162 games.
The Dodgers stole the second-most bases in the MLB (138) last season, and despite his age, Rollins has stolen 22 or more bags the last four seasons. A streak that will likely continue if he can stay healthy.
The other candidate to lead off for the Dodgers, Carl Crawford, will likely bat second with Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez behind him.