Opponent Profile: Depleted 51s stagger into town - Examiner.com

The Las Vegas 51s have endured their fair share of roster turnover lately.

Catcher Travis d’Arnaud, the Blue Jays’ top prospect, was lost to a season-ending knee injury. First baseman David Cooper, utility man Yan Gomes, center fielder Anthony Gose and right fielder Ruben Sierra were promoted to Toronto.

Then throw in trades that sent away left fielders Eric Thames and Travis Snider, and the 51s who remain are the stripped-down, less powerful version. A total of 72 home runs (out of 108) are not in the lineup anymore.

Las Vegas kicks off a four-game series in Albuquerque on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.

Rotation: It’s all veterans, all the time for the 51s, with former Royals right-hander Sean O’Sullivan (10-5, 4.44 ERA) leading things off on Wednesday. Former Nationals right-hander Shawn Hill (6-0, 3.96), back from the injury abyss, starts Thursday. Native Canadian Scott Richmond (7-6, 6.20), who turns 33 on Aug. 30, gets the nod on Friday. Former Royals right-hander Jesse Chavez (8-3, 3.72), who was Omaha’s closer last season, is back to starting and will conclude the series Sunday.

Bullpen: This has been an area of strength for Las Vegas this season. Chad Beck (1-0, 1.80, 12 saves) leads the team in saves despite multiple brief call-ups by the Blue Jays this year. David Carpenter (1-0, 1.26, three saves) was just recently acquired from the Astros. He was the closer at Oklahoma City last year.

Catching: With d’Arnaud (.333, 16 HR, 52 RBI) out, the 51s have been playing mix and match. Their current catching duo started with other teams. Ryan Eigsti began the year with Omaha, while Joel Galarraga opened with Sacramento. Eigsti is 1-for-6 with an RBI in two games with the 51s; Galarraga has hit .320 (8-for-25) with three RBI in nine games.

Infield: First baseman Mike McDade has only recently arrived to replace Cooper, coming off a strong start in Double-A (.275, 15 HR, 49 RBI). Shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria (.310, 6 HR, 62 RBI), a former Cuban defector, has hit better than expected. As for second and third base, the 51s have used a mix-and-match approach with non-prospects Jonathan Diaz (.269, 2 HR, 19 RBI), Chris Woodward (.263, 2 HR, 28 RBI), Mike McCoy (.257, 3 HR, 28 RBI, 19 steals) and Mark Sobolewski (.225, HR, 4 RBI).

Outfield: The recent roster upheaval has opened the door for more playing time for Ricardo Nanita (.306, 3 HR, 32 RBI), who mainly served as the designated hitter earlier in the year, and Danny Perales (.333, 5 HR, 28 RBI), who has had trouble staying healthy. For now, Nanita is in left and Perales in center. Another Cuban defector, Kenen Bailli, has just been called up from Double-A to play right field. McCoy can also help out in the outfield.

Prospect to watch: With d’Arnaud hurt and Gose (No. 2) in the Majors, that leaves Hechavarria as the best of what’s left, ranked No. 13 for the Blue Jays by Baseball America. While his hitting has improved in a friendly environment, his glove is his ticket to the big leagues. Toronto has grown weary of Yunel Escobar (though trading him has so far proven difficult due to his reputation as a bad apple in the clubhouse), so Hechavarria’s time could be arriving soon.

Outlook: The 51s (62-48) are 3.5 games back in the Pacific Southern Division, but their depleted roster leaves them vulnerable. The Isotopes (64-47) are a deeper, stronger team right now, so they should be favored to win the series.