Los Angeles Dodgers News

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Wednesday that designated hitter Shohei Ohtani will remain in the leadoff spot this season, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. Why mess with success? The two-way superstar won his third straight MVP award and fourth in the last five seasons while also helping the Dodgers win back-to-back World Series titles. The 2026 season will be his first full year in L.A. as a true two-way player. Ohtani led the league last year in runs (146), slugging percentage (.622), OPS (1.014), and total bases (380) in 158 regular-season games while also hitting .282 with a career-high 55 home runs, 102 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. The 31-year-old was unable to live up to his 50-50 showing from 2024, but he still was a beast as a DH for fantasy managers. He will once again set the table for the best team in baseball and will be the top player off the board in all fantasy drafts as a hitter.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Wednesday that right-handed reliever Brusdar Graterol (shoulder) won't be ready for Opening Day in late March, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Graterol's velocity was up the last time he threw off a mound, but the Dodgers will continue to take things slow with him. The 27-year-old had surgery on his right shoulder in November of 2024 and missed the entire 2025 campaign, so the Dodgers aren't going to rush him back. Graterol held a fantastic 1.20 ERA (3.03 FIP), 0.96 WHIP, a career-high seven saves, 48 strikeouts, and 12 walks in 67 1/3 innings pitched in 2023 for the Dodgers before getting hurt in 2024. If he can return to that pre-injury form in 2026, he will certainly have a place near the back end of the Dodgers' bullpen in a contract year. However, with just 7 1/3 innings thrown since the start of 2024, Graterol is a big question mark.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez (groin) admitted that a groin injury was partly to blame for the worst offensive season of his big-league career in 2025, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. "I wasn't moving the way I know I can move," Hern ndez said. The groin injury he dealt with last year never really felt right." The 33-year-old Dominican veteran cleaned up his diet in the offseason and dropped 10 pounds as he looks to bounce back in 2026. Hernandez is eager to prove that he can get back to the production he had in his first year in L.A., when he hit .272/.339/.501 with an .840 OPS, career-high 33 home runs, 99 RBI, 84 runs, and 12 stolen bases in 154 regular-season games. His defense also slipped last year, but Hernandez was still essential in helping the Dodgers win back-to-back World Series titles. Hernandez's batted-ball metrics in 2025 were similar to his career year in 2024, suggesting he can easily bounce back in his third year in Hollywood. And in the best lineup in baseball, you could definitely have a worse No. 3 outfielder in fantasy.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called shortstop Mookie Betts' disappointing 2025 season an "outlier," according to Jack Harris of The California Post. "The way he played shortstop last year, and expecting him to be better offensively this year, he will be in the MVP conversation this year," Roberts said. The skipper is also leaning towards using Betts as his everyday No. 3 hitter in 2026, and it won't change, regardless of the opposing pitcher's handedness. The 33-year-old former MVP mostly hit in the two-hole for the Blue last year, when he had career lows in batting average .258 and ISO (.148). Betts dealt with a pretty bad illness just before the start of the regular season, which got him into bad habits at the plate, and he never really recovered. His eight stolen bases last year were also his fewest since his rookie campaign in 2014. Expecting MVP numbers like Roberts might be a reach, but if healthy, Betts should still have a solid floor for counting stats in the heart of the best lineup in baseball.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts named infielders Hyeseong Kim, Miguel Rojas, and Alex Freeland as some options to play second base with Tommy Edman (ankle) set to open the season on the injured list, according to Sonja Chen of MLB.com. Roberts said that Kim and Freeland are basically competing for the same role. With depth in center field limited behind Andy Pages, Kim should also see time at the position in spring training. Kim, 27, didn't display much power (three homers), but he handled himself well at the plate in a utility role in 2025 in his first year in the United States, slashing .280/.314/.385 with a .699 OPS, 17 home runs, 19 runs scored, and 13 steals in 71 regular-season games. He also had a 30.6% strikeout rate and just a 4.2% walk rate, although his high contact rate in Japan suggests those numbers could improve as he gets used to major-league pitching. Kim could see a boost in his NL-only fantasy value if he wins the second base job, but he's primarily useful for his speed on the basepaths with limited pop.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitchers Gavin Stone (shoulder) and River Ryan (elbow) each threw a bullpen session on Tuesday, according to Sonja Chen of MLB.com. Stone is working his way back from a shoulder injury that he suffered in September 2024. He missed all of last season while recovering from surgery, and this latest update indicates that he's inching closer to making his return. Across 25 starts in 2024, Stone posted a 4.01 FIP with 7.44 K/9, 2.37 BB/9, and a 44.2% ground ball rate. Ryan has also been sidelined since the second half of the 2024 season when he underwent Tommy John surgery. During his first and only taste of big-league action in 2024, Ryan allowed just three earned runs over 20.1 innings (four starts), pitching to a 3.36 FIP with 7.97 K/9, 3.98 BB/9, and a 50% ground ball rate. The Dodgers can't have both Stone and Ryan in their Opening Day six-man rotation; at best, there will be room for one of them, and that's only if Blake Snell (left shoulder) isn't ready for the start of the season.

When asked if he expects two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani to be in the team's Opening Day starting rotation as a pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said, "I do." Ohtani will not pitch at all for Team Japan during the upcoming World Baseball Classic, so he probably will be on a strict innings limit to begin the 2026 season, but he'll be in the Dodgers' rotation. The 31-year-old four-time MVP and five-time All-Star didn't make his season debut on the mound for L.A. until mid-June after recovering from Tommy John surgery he had in September of 2023, and he was slowly eased into the rotation. Ohtani made 14 starts (47 innings) during the regular season and had a 2.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 62:9 K:BB. The leash was lengthened in the postseason, as he made four starts and threw 20 1/3 frames, striking out 28 and walking seven. Fantasy managers should anticipate a limited workload early on, but the expectation is that he'll be a full two-way player in 2026.

Los Angeles Dodgers utility man Tommy Edman (ankle) will start the season on the injured list, manager Dave Roberts told Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. It's unclear when Edman might return to make his 2026 debut, but Roberts said on Monday that the team will take a "methodical" pace with the 30-year-old veteran after he had surgery in the offseason to address a nagging right-ankle injury that has bothered him for the last two years. Edman was slightly better during the regular season in 2025, but so far in his two seasons in Hollywood, he's hit an underwhelming .229/.280/.392 with a .672 OPS, 19 home runs, 69 RBI, 69 runs scored, and nine stolen bases in 134 regular-season games. He has won two World Series rings since joining L.A., but for fantasy purposes, he hasn't been very productive. Edman's IL stint to open the 2026 campaign makes him even less attractive in deeper mixed leagues.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that the team is going to "slow play" relief pitcher Brusdar Graterol's (shoulder) ramp-up this spring, per Jack Harris of the California Post. Harris reports that Graterol's availability for Opening Day has yet to be determined, but that Roberts said Graterol is "going to take some time." Graterol was a dominant reliever in his last full season in 2023, posting a 1.20 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 48 strikeouts and seven saves across 67 1/3 innings pitched. However, injuries limited him to just seven appearances in 2024 and sidelined him for the entirety of 2025. The Dodgers signed veteran closer Edwin Diaz over the offseason, and setup man Tanner Scott seems likely to take over the ninth inning if Diaz were to get hurt. As such, even a fully healthy Graterol appears to be blocked off from save chances in Los Angeles, further limiting his fantasy appeal in 2026.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani could pitch in a Cactus League game in spring training, and that it's "still in the air," according to Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation. Ohtani was recovering from Tommy John surgery that he had in September of 2023 and didn't make his season debut as a pitcher for the Dodgers until mid-June of 2025. The 31-year-old Japanese hurler ended up making 14 regular-season starts (47 innings) and posted a strong 2.87 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 62 strikeouts and only nine walks. His workload was expanded in the postseason, and although he might be babied this spring as a pitcher, he's fully expected to be part of the Opening Day starting rotation as a pitcher. Ohtani's fantasy ceiling is much higher as a hitter, but he's not too shabby as a pitcher either, and is RotoBaller's No. 32 starting pitcher in fantasy.

Free-agent infielder/outfielder Enrique Hernandez announced on his Instagram account on Thursday that he is re-signing an undisclosed one-year deal to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hernandez won't be ready for the start of the 2026 season after having left-elbow surgery this offseason. When the 34-year-old veteran returns, he'll resume his role in L.A. as a super-utility bat that mostly sees action against left-handed pitchers. Kike hit just .203/.255/.366 with a .621 OPS during 92 regular-season games for the Blue last season, adding 10 home runs, 35 RBI, and 30 runs scored in his 256 plate appearances. The Puerto Rican veteran has barely hit over the Mendoza Line the last two years in L.A., but he's been much more clutch during the postseason while helping the Dodgers win back-to-back World Series titles. Hernandez is a glue guy in L.A.'s locker room, but he won't be on the fantasy radar.

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Thursday that they reached a contract extension with third baseman Max Muncy for one year and $10 million guaranteed, according to Jack Harris of The California Post. The deal also includes a $10 million club option for the 2028 season. Muncy will make $7 million in 2027. The 35-year-old veteran was already under contract for 2026 after the Dodgers picked up his $10 million option. Muncy, a two-time All-Star, has missed significant time with injuries the last two seasons. But when he's healthy, he continues to be a strong left-handed power bat with excellent plate discipline in the best lineup in baseball. In 100 regular-season games last year, he hit .243/.376/.470 with an .846 OPS, 19 home runs, 67 RBI, 48 runs, and four steals in 388 plate appearances. Muncy does struggle against lefties and will almost certainly miss time with injury, but he's still an acceptable third base target in fantasy in the mid to late rounds of drafts.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have re-signed veteran reliever Evan Phillips (elbow) to a one-year, $6.5 million contract, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com. In a corresponding move, catcher Ben Rortvedt was designated for assignment. Phillips is coming off Tommy John surgery and is not expected to pitch until July. He made just seven appearances prior to injury last season, allowing zero earned runs with six strikeouts and a pair of walks. He posted a 2.08 FIP, but it came over such a small sample size that we should really pay closer attention to his 3.28 FIP from 2024. The 31-year-old is a very effective right-hander with a track record of posting high K/BB and ground ball rates. He won't be a closer in the Dodgers' deep bullpen, but he does have plenty of experience in save situations and can be trusted in high-leverage scenarios.

Los Angeles Dodgers top outfield prospect Josue De Paula earned a non-roster invite to MLB spring training. The young outfielder is considered the team's top prospect on MLB.com and is quickly establishing himself as one of the top hitters in the entire minor leagues. According to MLB.com, the 20-year-old enters the 2026 regular season as the overall No. 13 prospect. Last summer, De Paula spent most of his regular season with High-A, alongside fellow budding star Zyhir Hope. At High-A, De Paula would hold a strong .263/.406/.421 line with an .827 OPS. During this 98-game stint, De Paula hit 12 home runs and swiped 32 bases. He then earned a four-game taste of Double-A, where he was unable to tally a hit. Even though De Paula is still likely one calendar year away from the major leagues, he is a top dynasty asset and could even debut at Triple-A in the second half of 2026.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect Zyhir Hope earned an invite to MLB spring training. Hope is quickly climbing prospect boards and is entering the 2026 campaign as one of the top outfield prospects in the game. According to MLB.com, Hope is the team's No.2-ranked prospect and the sport's No. 20-ranked prospect, sitting behind fellow outfield teammate Josue De Paula. Last summer, the 21-year-old spent the majority of the campaign with High-A Great Lakes before earning a short six-game stint at Double-A. With Great Lakes, Hope posted a .264/.377/.428 slash line with 13 home runs and 26 stolen bases. He carried this momentum into Double-A, posting a .316/.350/.421 line. While Hope will not break camp with the MLB roster, he will likely open the season with Double-A, which could open the door for a second-half Triple-A promotion.

Free agent outfielder Nick Senzel re-signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and will be a non-roster invitee to Major League spring training for the two-time World Series champions. Senzel was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft but hasn't been able to get regular playing time in the majors. He has played 451 career games for the Reds, Nationals, and White Sox with a career slash line of .232/.299/.363. Last year was the first year he hadn't played in the majors since 2018, as he spent the season in Double-A and Triple-A for the Dodgers. In his 99 minor-league games last year, he hit .252 with 12 homers, eight stolen bases, and a .337 wOBA. The 30-year-old will provide organizational depth and injury insurance for the Dodgers, but he isn't likely to make a significant fantasy impact unless he has a monster spring training.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Ben Casparius said over the weekend that he is preparing himself as a starting pitcher entering spring training this year, according to Steve Webb of DodgersBeat.com. Casparius had an up-and-down first full season in the big leagues with the Dodgers last year, appearing in 46 games (three starts) while throwing 77 2/3 innings in the regular season. The 26-year-old went 7-5 with a bloated 4.64 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 71 strikeouts and 21 free passes. Even though Casparius will get stretched out in spring training, he will most likely enter the 2026 campaign as a bulk-innings reliever for the defending World Series champions. Casparius won't be much of a fantasy asset as long as he remains in a relief role, although he could still be useful in deeper fantasy leagues for his swing-and-miss stuff.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki struggled in his first MLB season in 2025. Across 36 1/3 innings, the 24-year-old posted a 1-1 record with a 4.46 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts. Sasaki ended up spending nearly as much time with Triple-A Oklahoma City as he did in the Majors. He didn't get much better results against Triple-A hitters either, pitching to a 6.10 ERA across 20 2/3 innings. Down the stretch of the season, Los Angeles featured Sasaki out of the bullpen. However, it appears as though the hard-throwing right-hander will get another chance to carve out a rotation role in 2026. Sasaki was widely considered to be a high-end pitching prospect when he was initially coming up in Japan, so he still carries upside despite his rookie-year struggles. Still, the Dodgers have a multitude of quality pitching options, which means Sasaki could get optioned or moved to the bullpen if his performance does not improve. With a current average draft position of pick 224, Sasaki profiles as a high-risk, high-reward starting pitcher option for fantasy managers in 2026.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages should remain in an everyday role despite the team's addition of Kyle Tucker during the offseason. Pages played 156 games last year; all of them were spent in the outfield, and he did a decent amount of moving around. He logged 121 appearances in center field, 51 in right, and 27 in left. Of course, those numbers sum to greater than 156, indicating that Pages frequently switched positions mid-game. Presumably, he'll be doing less of that in 2026. The Tucker signing moves Teoscar Hernandez to left field, giving the Dodgers two everyday contributors in the corner outfield spots. As a result, Pages should get more consistent playing time in center field. He has shown that he can handle the position, as he posted 5 OAA and 7 FRV there in 2025. In addition to terrific defense, Pages had a strong season at the plate, slashing .272/.313/.461 with career-highs in home runs (27), RBI (86), and stolen bases (14). However, he did post a 4.6% walk rate and 21.6% strikeout rate. Outside of the far-from-ideal K/BB ratio, Pages had an excellent 2025 season, both at the plate and in the field. If anything, playing center field more consistently should allow him to develop a routine and could lead to even better statistics in 2026. As it stands, he ranks as the #42 outfielder and #93 hitter in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball draft rankings.

The Cincinnati Reds announced on Friday that catcher Ben Rortvedt was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Rortvedt will head back to the 2025 World Series champions after the Reds previously claimed him off waivers from the Dodgers back in November. The 28-year-old left-handed-hitting backstop hit a combined .152/.240/.205 with a .445 OPS, just one home run, 10 RBI, 11 walks, and 23 strikeouts in 44 regular-season games in 2025 with the Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays. Rortvedt only appeared in 18 games for L.A. to close out the season. He actually served as the Dodgers' starting catcher for a stretch late last season, when both Will Smith and Dalton Rushing went down with injuries. Like most backup catchers, Rortvedt lacks any kind of real power or speed, which makes him pretty useless in fantasy. He'll enter spring training as the No. 3 catcher for the Dodgers.