What I’m hearing plans for Shohei Ohtani’s workload, Tommy Edman’s return

LOS ANGELES — At long last, the Los Angeles Dodgers will have their starting second baseman back. Tommy Edman will be activated off the 60-day injured list ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, manager Dave Roberts confirmed Monday, marking the end of a rehab process from offseason ankle surgery that spanned more than six months.

Except Edman won’t be the everyday guy at second base, at least to start.

While Edman will be on the active roster on Tuesday, he will not be in the starting lineup. Edman is expected to make his season debut on Wednesday, though he will be available off the bench Tuesday. While there are no lingering concerns about Edman’s ankle, the Dodgers will be mindful of his usage and plan to start him three to four times a week. When Edman is in the lineup, he won’t be limited to second base. Roberts will use Edman as a super-utility player, with Edman also seeing time at third base and in left field.

“It’s been a few years just nagging, and you know, even with the surgery, they were still kind of trying to get over the hump with feeling good,” Roberts said before Monday’s 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. “(Surgery) was important just so we can hopefully get it behind us.”

The Dodgers will designate Santiago Espinal for assignment as the corresponding move. That the Dodgers will utilize Edman in a more versatile role than they first envisioned made Espinal’s spot on the roster redundant.

Edman’s balky right ankle dates back nearly two years, when he sprained it on a rehab assignment with the St. Louis Cardinals shortly before he was dealt to Los Angeles ahead of the 2024 trade deadline. While he tried to play through it during the 2025 season, Edman’s production dipped dramatically, and he still spent nearly three months on the IL. When he returned in August, he was not 100 percent and was confined to second base. Much of Edman’s value comes from his ability to play around the diamond, and the Dodgers will take the tradeoff of having his versatility, even if it means slow-playing his return to full-time action.

The Dodgers can space out Edman’s playing time via platoons at second base and in left field, though they’d certainly like more production out of the former. Alex Freeland continues to showcase strong defense at second but entered Monday with a .231 average and a .699 OPS since being recalled from Triple A at the end of May. Freeland has seen the bulk of the reps at second base, with Miguel Rojas available against lefties, though that might change given Edman’s production against left-handed pitching.

The left-field platoon of Alex Call and Ryan Ward has also fared fine. Ward entered Monday with an .845 OPS over 41 plate appearances since being called up from Triple A. The Dodgers would like to see more of Ward while they await Teoscar Hernández’s return from a left hamstring strain.

Even when Hernández returns, he’ll need additional recovery days. Having Edman able to roam left field will help, though it should be noted that of his 166 regular-season games in the outfield, only eight have come in left. The Dodgers also plan on using Edman at third base to give Max Muncy a blow when needed. Expect Edman to be used as a Swiss Army knife of sorts, at least over the next few weeks.

“I don’t know when Teo is going to come back, but he’s going to need to be spelled,” Roberts said. “I like getting Max an off day here and there. And then also, obviously, with second base with (Rojas) and Freeland, it’ll be interesting. But yeah, (Edman) is gonna be moving around a little bit.”

Shohei Ohtani set to start Wednesday — at least for now

The Dodgers plan for Shohei Ohtani to take his next scheduled start Wednesday, despite Ohtani missing Friday’s game with left knee inflammation. Granted, Ohtani was back in the lineup Saturday — and homered on the second pitch he saw.  Ohtani said through team interpreter Will Ireton that he was “pretty confident” the inflammation would soon be behind him.

Still, Ohtani did not throw his scheduled bullpen Monday and threw only long toss before the game. He will throw a “touch and feel” bullpen on Tuesday. The Dodgers already tweaked their rotation once to give Ohtani maximum recovery. Justin Wrobleski will start on regular rest Tuesday, with the club utilizing its standard practice of stacking Ohtani’s pitching start ahead of a scheduled off day (Thursday). But several factors could lead to the Dodgers restructure their rotation. Wednesday’s contest is a rare midweek day game at Dodger Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 12:15 p.m. local time. Barring a last-minute change, Ohtani will be in Tuesday’s lineup as the designated hitter, making an already quick turnaround even tougher. To alleviate some of that workload, Roberts could take Ohtani out of the lineup as a hitter, something he has not done on a pitching start since May 13.

But it remains to be seen if Ohtani will make that start, as it will depend on how he feels heading into Tuesday’s game. If needed, River Ryan is on schedule in Triple A and could be available for a spot start. The Dodgers have been clear about their long-term view of Ryan: Given his injury history, they will not rush him to the majors and believe building up both his stamina and total innings in Triple A is what’s best for his future. But calling up Ryan for one start would not disrupt his overall development plan, especially with him already on turn.

Ryan made his last start on June 10, allowing an earned run and scattering six hits over four innings with seven strikeouts. Of his five Triple-A starts since returning from a minor hamstring injury, Ryan has logged six innings twice. If the Dodgers entertain a call-up, he’d likely be under a pitch limit.

Still, the likeliest situation remains Ohtani making his start Wednesday, though he also would probably be under some sort of limitation to protect his knee from aggravation. It would not be wise for the Dodgers to push Ohtani in mid-June, especially with a viable option such as Ryan available. But the Dodgers trust Ohtani’s communication, and he hasn’t given them reason otherwise.

Teoscar Hernández, Edwin Díaz making progress toward returns

Hernández spent Monday’s pregame participating in baseball activities on the field, with both his strength and speed trending upward. He could head out on a rehab assignment as early as this weekend, making for a timely recovery since suffering a Grade-1 hamstring strain on May 27. Unlike last season, the Dodgers do not feel a need to rush Hernández back and will instead prioritize his swing mechanics when he begins his rehab.

“Making sure that his swing is back …  I think that’s the thing we didn’t do last year,” Roberts said. “He missed some time, and then we got him back in the lineup, and he just wasn’t right. So (making) sure he’s in a good spot physically, and then his swing is kind of reflective of that.”

Edwin Díaz (elbow surgery, bone chip removal) also threw five pitches off a mound Monday and is scheduled to throw his first bullpen since his mid-April operation later this week. The Dodgers do not have a timeline for Díaz’s return, though the club has vaguely identified sometime in the second half.

“He has come along really well, quickly,” Roberts said of Díaz. “Don’t know time of return, but it’s coming out pretty hot, so he feels pretty good.”

Díaz will need at least three to four bullpen sessions before he faces live hitters, and he’ll likely need to repeat that step multiple times before the Dodgers think about sending him on a rehab assignment. It remains unlikely he returns before the All-Star break, but the Dodgers are encouraged by the early returns so far.

Two key right-handed relievers are also making progress. Evan Phillips (Tommy John) has made four rehab starts with Triple-A Oklahoma City, while Brock Stewart is scheduled to make his third for Class-A Ontario. Both pitchers could join the Dodgers by the end of the month.