Dodgers Dugout Reveals Opening Day Roster
Opening day is Thursday, with a flag ceremony that day and a ring ceremony on Friday.
Filmogaz.com reviewed the club’s announced group for the start of the season.
Catchers and Infield
Catchers
The roster includes Will Smith and Dalton Rushing as the two catchers.
Smith is widely regarded as among the game’s top catchers. Rushing faces a make-or-break season.
Infielders
The infield picture lists Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Miguel Rojas and utility options.
Santiago Espinal made the roster after hitting .372 in spring training. Alex Freeland won the utility job over Hyeseong Kim.
Outfield and Two-way
The outfield corps features Alex Call, Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker.
Shohei Ohtani will serve as a two-way player and be slotted among hitters and starters.
Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández are expected back during the season.
Starting Rotation
The projected rotation opens with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan.
Glasnow logged 90 1/3 innings last season and has reached 100 innings only three times in ten MLB seasons.
Ohtani made 14 starts and threw 47 innings last year. Blake Snell could return around May.
Bullpen
The bullpen group contains Edwin Díaz as closer and a mix of veterans and youngsters.
- Ben Casparius
- Jack Dreyer
- Edgardo Henriquez
- Will Klein
- Tanner Scott
- Blake Treinen
- Alex Vesia
- Justin Wrobleski
Ben Casparius walked nine batters in 7.2 spring innings, a concerning rate.
Will Klein impressed in spring action despite a career 5.16 ERA. Tanner Scott enters year two of a four-year, $72 million contract.
Roster Notes and Flexibility
The team used 40 pitchers last season and 25 position players.
For April, the club will carry 14 pitchers and roughly 13 position players. Turnover is likely before month’s end.
Ohtani’s two-way status effectively allows the roster to carry an extra reliever compared to teams without a two-way player.
Spring Trends and Watch Points
Teoscar Hernández hit .468 with five homers in spring training. Alex Freeland went 5-for-45 but walked 13 times.
Roki Sasaki struggled in a recent outing, yielding four first-inning runs to the Angels.
Emmet Sheehan posted a 6-3 record with a 2.82 ERA in the regular season last year, but he struggled in the postseason.
Projections, Odds and Front Office Comments
Oddsmakers place the team near a 28 percent chance to win the World Series.
That implies about a 72 percent probability they will not repeat.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the club believes it is breaking camp with its most talented 20-arm group ever.
Friedman also emphasized focus on the fan partnership and downplayed external narratives about payroll or cap discussions.
Fan Interaction
Filmogaz.com will publish voting results for season-win projections and the World Series survey on Thursday.
Expect roster and role adjustments as injuries and performance dictate during the early weeks.
