Changes…
The Dodgers optioned OF Ryan Ward and LHP Ronan Kopp to Triple-A Oklahoma City, and sent pitchers Carlos Duran , Carson Hobbs , Garrett McDaniels , J ackson Ferris, Wyatt Mills , Jordan Weems , and Lucas Wepf, catcher Griffin Lockwood-Powell, and OFs Josue De Paula and Kendall…

The Dodgers optioned OF Ryan Ward and LHP Ronan Kopp to Triple-A Oklahoma City, and sent pitchers Carlos Duran, Carson Hobbs, Garrett McDaniels, Jackson Ferris, Wyatt Mills, Jordan Weems, and Lucas Wepf, catcher Griffin Lockwood-Powell, and OFs Josue De Paula and Kendall George to minor league camp.
That should narrow it down to 50-something players in Camp. Ryan Ward had his shot and did almost nothing… The field is narrowed…
X-CITES
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Discussion (41)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Best guess at 26 man roster: IF)Smith/Freeman/Rojas/Betts/Muncy OF)Teo/Pages/Tucker DH)Ohtani B)Rushing/Call/Espinal/Kim SP)Yamamoto/Glasnow/Ohtani/Sheehan/Sasaki/Wrobleski RP)Diaz/Scott/Treinen/Vesia/Casparius/Dreyer/Klein/Hurt Toughest cuts: Freeland & Ryan Work to do: Henriquez
excellent guess…. I see Kim at 2B and Rojas on the bench. He needs to play to improve.
Freeland is probably still a season away. He’s better off playing every day in OKC than coming off the bench in the majors. A few seasons back, management tried to get younger–but Miguel Vargas clearly wasn’t ready.
Looks good but have to agree with Duke on Kim at 2B with Miggy as the RH platoon. Hurt got hammered yesterday and Trenien has been awful. Probably a scramble to replace those two. We also really need a RH corner IF to spell 35 yo Max so he makes it to the playoffs Anyone have an idea who may rise to the top?
As of March 9, 2026, Japan is the only team to have clinched a spot in the quarterfinals from Pool C. The current pool play standings and win-loss records are as follows: Pool A (San Juan, Puerto Rico) Puerto Rico: 2–0 Cuba: 2–0 Canada: 1–1 Panama: 1–2 Colombia: 0–3 Pool B (Houston, USA) United States: 2–0 Mexico: 2–0 Italy: 2–0 Great Britain: 0–3 Brazil: 0–3 Pool C (Tokyo, Japan) Japan*: 3–0 Australia: 2–1 Chinese Taipei: 2–2 South Korea: 1–2 Czechia: 0–3 *Advanced to Quarterfinals Pool D (Miami, USA) Venezuela: 2–0 Dominican Republic: 2–0 Israel: 1–1 Netherlands: 1–2 Nicaragua: 0–3
If you look at Frereland’s history, he always struggled when he went up a level but then adjusted. I do not have any illusions that he is going to be a batting champ. He’s a utility man… through-and-through. I get that Espinol has had an amazing spring, but this happens frequently when a fringe MLB player with several years of experience destroys AAAA pitchers. We all know he will revert back to being a .240 hitter, which is what Freeland likely will be… just with more SLG. Plus, I must confess that I love Freeland’s story.
Sounds like Espinal to me
Yeah that part was just for ease of listing. Rojas is a lock.
I like Freeland too but Espinal might have a good year in him yet.
We all know that AF prefers veterans especially when he is going for a three peat.That is one reason Freeland will spend time at Oklahoma City. He also has more invested in Kim.
Kim has to make it. I would just rather see Freeland than Espinol. We have seen Trayce Thompson do this repeatedly: tear it up in Spring and then revert back to Trayce Thompson in the regular season. This is called The Natural Habitat of the Spring Training Mirage Why this happens: 1. Pitching quality March is full of minor leaguers, rehab arms, and pitchers working on changeups. 2. Tiny sample sizes A guy might get 30–40 at-bats. 3. Veterans experimenting Pitchers throw pitches they would never throw 2-0 in July. 4. Environment Arizona and Florida ballparks are hitter-friendly. Spring statistics are like cotton candy: bright, sugary, and structurally unreliable, but guys like Thompson and Espinol feast of this stuff. It just never translated into the regular season.
I really like what I’ve seen from Wrobleski this Spring and hope he makes the starting rotation. He is fearless and comes right after the hitters. Love how he has matured as a pitcher.
I think the decision on Espinol has already been made.
In the interview with Kristen, he sounded confident and chill. I thought he would be in the pen before Spring, but he is headed to the rotation where they need a LHP.
Dope-fiend move!
One of the most ridiculous camps in recent memory: Chris Colabello (2014 Twins) Hit .468 in Spring Training He made the team… and soon pitchers remembered they were allowed to throw breaking balls. Then he hit .194.
Yep… I think Miggy’s heroics in the WS altered the timeline for Freeland. Rojas was talking about retirement but then Game 7 happened,. The oldest guy on the squad turned out to be The Man. The Dodgers can give Kim ample runway to see how good (or not) he might be. He really didn’t get a full opportunity as a rookie, in part because Roberts prefers veterans. I expect some “load management” among the aging position players.
Hey, Trayce was in the starting lineup in the postseason while Belli was on the bench!
Wrobo was great in the WS too. And a bit spicy!
There are two options for Espinal/Freeland: 1. DNF Espinal and add Freeland to the 26 man roster. 2. Add Espinal to the 26 man roster and have Freeland play every day at AAA. Option 2 allows the Dodgers to see if Mark or DNS are right. If Mark is right then Freeland is brought up. But if Espinal is real then the Dodgers have a better lineup and position variability. Option 2 provides the Dodgers with the most flexibility for the season. Option 1 locks the Dodgers into a position with less flexibility. I see the Dodgers decision based solely on that
WBC better than the WS Kike? Playing well for a couple, three weeks right up your alley.
Damte Bichette comeback tour
Trea Turner hit a grand slam in the last WBC. He said it was the biggest hit of his career. So Hernandez isn’t the only player to feel the way he does.
I’m starting to think Espinal will win the 2B job outright.
If Espinal is good enough to make the Dodgers, he is good enough to get something back in trade.