Smith (ankle) might be ready to make his Cactus League debut by Thursday or Friday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Smith has been slowed early on in camp by an ankle injury, but it hasn't kept him from catching bullpen sessions or taking live batting practice and he's almost ready to play in a game. The Dodgers open their season on March 18 in the first of two games against the Cubs in Tokyo and Smith is expected to be ready to roll by then.
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Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Spring debut could come Thursday
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Freeman (ankle) could make his Cactus League debut Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Freeman has been brought along slowly in Dodgers camp following December surgery to remove loose bodies in his right ankle, but he's progressing well. The veteran first baseman will get some at-bats in a minor-league game Monday and is tracking toward his first official spring training action later this week. Freeman is expected to be ready to go for the Dodgers' season-opening two-game series against the Cubs in Tokyo on March 18-19.
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Dodgers' Bobby Miller: Cleared to resume throwing
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Miller (head) will resume throwing Monday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Miller has been shut down and in concussion protocol after being hit in the head by a line drive during his first Cactus League appearance last week. However, he managed to avoid a serious injury and has been cleared to ramp his throwing back up. It's not clear when Miller might be ready for appear in a game again. Miller is likely to begin the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
May allowed one hit and struck out one batter over one scoreless inning in Sunday's Cactus League game against San Diego.
It was a successful return to game action for May, who missed all of last season while rehabbing from the right elbow surgery he underwent in July of 2023. The fireballer had resumed throwing off a mound last summer but had his progress halted when he needed throat surgery for an esophageal tear in July. May now appears to be back to full health, and he could either win a spot at the back of the Dodgers' rotation or open the campaign as part of the team's bullpen.
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Dodgers' Zyhir Hope: Impressing early in camp
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Hope went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Saturday's Cactus League loss to Kansas City.
Hope belted a solo shot to the opposite field in the sixth inning. The power display came two days after the 19-year-old made a pair of impressive catches in the outfield in the Dodgers' spring opener. Hope isn't a candidate to break camp with the big club, but he's among the team's top prospects after posting a .905 OPS with nine home runs and eight stolen bases over 54 games at the Single-A level last season.
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Dodgers' Hyeseong Kim: Will get looks in CF
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Manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that the Dodgers will look to use Kim in center field during spring training in addition to second base and shortstop, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Kim has a bit of experience playing in the outfield from his time in Korea, though he was only ever used in the corners. The Dodgers -- eager to add another lefty-hitting option in center field -- believe the 26-year-old's speed will allow him to succeed in the new role, but Kim is still expected to serve primarily as a second baseman once the regular season begins.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Throws off mound
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Kopech (forearm) threw off a mound Saturday to a standing catcher, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
While it wasn't a full-fledged bullpen session, Saturday marked the first time Kopech had done any sort of mound work since the start of spring training. The 28-year-old righty has been behind schedule since the start of camp due to inflammation in his right forearm, and there's no guarantee he'll be ready to go when the Dodgers begin their domestic schedule March 27.
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Dodgers' Evan Phillips: Uncertain for domestic opener
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Manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that Phillips (shoulder) being ready for Opening Day is in doubt, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Phillips' shoulder problems date back to last year's postseason, as a torn rotator cuff prevented him from playing in the World Series. He's gotten back to throwing off a mound since the start of spring training, but he has already been ruled out for Los Angeles' two-game series against the Cubs in Tokyo.
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Dodgers' Evan Phillips: Bullpen session on tap
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Phillips (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Friday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
It will be his first this spring, as Phillips is still working his way back from a right shoulder injury that kept him out of last year's World Series. While he has already been ruled out for the Dodgers' two-game series in Tokyo versus the Cubs on March 18-19, it's not clear whether he might have a chance to be ready for the team's domestic opener March 27.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Spring debut coming next week
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Sasaki is slated to make his Cactus League debut sometime next week, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Sasaki is expected to start March 19, the Dodgers' second of two games in Tokyo against the Cubs to begin the regular season. With his first spring training outing coming soon, it would seem to line Sasaki up for three exhibition appearances before his outing in Tokyo.
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Dodgers' Bobby Miller: Hoping to throw soon
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Miller (head) reported having a headache Friday, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the club hopes the right-hander will be able to start throwing again soon, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Miller was involved in a scary situation in Thursday's Cactus League opener against the Cubs when a live drive struck him in the head. However, he avoided any fractures and does not have any concussion symptoms yet, although he will remain in concussion protocol to be safe. It's not yet clear when Miller might be ready to pitch in a game again.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Facing live pitching Friday
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Ohtani (shoulder/elbow) will face live pitching Friday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
It hasn't been determined yet whether it will be against a pitcher or a Trajekt machine, but either way it will be the first time Ohtani has swung a bat against live pitching, or at least simulated live pitching from a robot, this spring. Ohtani is being brought along slowly after November surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder, and he is not expected to pitch until around May 1. However, there are no concerns about his availability as a designated hitter for the Dodgers' season-opening set in Tokyo versus the Cubs on March 18 and 19.
Freeman (ankle) began a running progression Thursday and is on track to make his Cactus League debut next week, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
The 35-year-old has been a bit behind his fellow Dodger position players following December surgery to remove loose bodies in his right ankle. However, it would appear Freeman is close to being fully cleared for all activities, and the team remains confident he will be ready to go for a season-opening two-game series against the Cubs in Tokyo on March 18-19.
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Dodgers' Miguel Rojas: Cactus League debut Friday
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Rojas (sports hernia) will start at third base and bat sixth versus the Cubs on Friday in his Cactus League debut, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Rojas underwent sports hernia surgery early in the offseason and developed an infection that extended his recovery timeline. While he was slightly behind other Dodgers position players at the start of camp, it appears he's now all caught up. Rojas is projected to serve as a reserve infielder this season.
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Planning to pitch out of windup
Rotowire
Ohtani (shoulder/elbow) has thrown mostly out of a windup during his first two bullpen sessions this spring and plans to continue to do so during games this season, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
When asked if he intends to use a windup during games this year, Ohtani responded, "That's my plan...With increasing the intensity, I do want to see how the body responds, how I respond to it. As of now, that's the plan." Using a windup is a shift from his previous norm, as the two-way star threw almost exclusively out of the stretch during his time on the mound with the Angels. A study published in 2024 concluded that there's no significant difference in velocity or injury risk for pro hurlers pitching out of the stretch versus out of a windup, so there may not be a tangible fantasy impact on Ohtani's decision to change his approach.
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Dodgers' Tony Gonsolin: Starting second spring game
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Gonsolin is scheduled to start Friday's Cactus League game against the Cubs, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Gonsolin didn't pitch for the Dodgers in 2024 while spending most of the season recovering from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in September 2023, but he was cleared to make three rehab starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City this past September. Though he looked sharp at Triple-A, Gonsolin was never reinstated from the injured list during the Dodgers' run to the World Series, but that wasn't the result of him suffering any sort of setback. Despite having had a normal offseason in addition to owning a sterling 3.19 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 375.2 career innings in the big leagues, Gonsolin will have to fight for a spot in a talent-laden Dodgers rotation that added Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki this offseason and also has Shohei Ohtani and Dustin May returning from Tommy John surgery. The Dodgers plan to open the season with a traditional five-man rotation before going to a six-man setup once Ohtani is fully stretched out for starting duty -- perhaps at some point in May -- so Gonsolin will be competing with Sasaki, May, Bobby Miller (concussion), Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleski for one of two spots. Gonsolin has a minor-league option remaining, but since he's 30 years old and has a strong track record in the majors, he would likely work out of the big-league bullpen if he misses out on a rotation spot.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Solid in spring opener
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Yamamoto pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in a Cactus League contest against the Cubs on Thursday, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out two batters.
Though he gave up three singles, Yamamoto avoided allowing any runs to cross the plate and threw 20 of his 27 pitches for strikes. The right-hander was on the mound for the opening of MLB's spring-training slate and could very well pitch in the first game of the regular season, as manager Dave Roberts said last week that he expects Yamamoto to start one of the Dodgers' two games against the Cubs in Tokyo, Japan on March 18-19. Yamamoto impressed in first taste of MLB last season, posting a 3.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 105:22 K:BB over 90 innings across 18 regular-season starts.
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Dodgers' Bobby Miller: In concussion protocol
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that Miller will be in concussion protocol, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Miller had to be removed from Thursday's Cactus League opener against the Cubs after taking a comebacker to the head. He was able to walk off the field under his own power, but Roberts is unsure how long Miller will be out for.
Dodgers' Bobby Miller: Struck in head by comebacker
Rotowire
Miller was removed from Thursday's Cactus League appearance versus the Cubs after being hit in the head by a comebacker, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Miller came into the game in the top of the third inning and walked the leadoff man. The second batter, Michael Busch, drilled an offering right back up the middle, which struck Miller in the head and caused him to fall to the ground. Miller was able to walk off the field under his own power but will likely undergo concussion tests.
