Aidan West 7/16/26

Dodgers INF Aiden West missed much of the ACL schedule with a broken right finger and returned to the lineup Thursday, going 5/5 with several hard-hit balls, including a single on a 100 mph Ben Joyce fastball.

West has a compact lefty swing, with short hand load, which should help limit his swing and miss. He’s patient, with an idea of the zone. West has good balance and timing in the box and has shown an ability to both time velo and stay back on soft stuff. He had a really impressive mid-AB adjustment to Ben Joyce’s 100+ heat, pulling a single to right field. If there is an emerging book against West, it is to attack him away. His short arms coupled with the compact bat path make it difficult to bust him inside, but he has shown some swing and miss when attacked away and will need to prove he can defend the plate outer half.

Physically, he’s listed at 6’2” 205 and looks more like a football player than a baseball player. It’s a semi-bulky/blocky, athletic physique. The frame is densely packed for a kid taking his reps at shortstop, but it’s a Big League body right now. You hope he maintains it and doesn’t get much bigger because he already has good present strength and added weight could hurt his range at short.

Defensively, I get a polish over flash vibes at shortstop. He is a fundamentally-sound defender. He fields inside his body, with soft, infield caliber hands and a quick release. West understands the speed of the game, with a good internal clock on 6.3. double play unassisted, getting to the bag to make a throw with time to spare. West moves well for his size and is sneakily coordinated with good feet.

It’s not hard to see why the Dodgers took West in the 2025 4th and signed him well slot ($1.27MM). He has an exciting offensive profile with a real chance to stick at short. There is ability on both sides. I can see an every day case, and he might also have ceiling beyond that.