Dodgers Interview: Roberts likes what he sees from Stone in return to mound
CAMELBACK RANCH, AZ– Tuesday’s 11-3 win over Cleveland at Camelback Ranch gave Dodgers fans one of the best sights of the spring so far: Gavin Stone back on a mound in a game, healthy, sharp, and looking like himself again. After shoulder surgery wiped out his 2025 season, Stone’s return carried real weight, and Dave Roberts sounded genuinely encouraged by what he saw. Roberts also touched on Justin Wrobleski’s early spring look and gave another strong hint at how the top half of the lineup could shake out. It was a quick postgame interview with SNLA’s Kirsten Watson, but there was a lot in it.
Roberts started with Stone, and his answer got right to the point: “I saw poise. I saw command of the fastball. I saw a really good changeup and just compete. So, yeah, good to see Gavin back out there, and he hasn’t missed a beat.”
Roberts also had good things to say about Justin Wrobleski, who made a strong impression last year and is back in camp building on it. “So far it’s playing good,” Roberts said. “And I think that for me, a young player that has a good year, you want to see how he responds and wants more versus being complacent. Justin went into the offseason with a purpose and came into spring looking really good, throwing the baseball well. So I’m excited to see what he can do in 2026.”
That answer felt like classic Roberts on young pitchers. He talked about stuff, but he also talked about mindset, and that part matters with this organization. The Dodgers count on guys to keep growing after they break through, and Roberts made it clear he sees that in Wrobleski right now.
On the lineup, Roberts gave another look at a possible top five, with Shohei Ohtani leading off, Kyle Tucker hitting second, Mookie Betts in the three-hole, and Freddie Freeman and Will Smith right behind him. Asked whether Tucker at No. 2 and Freeman at No. 4 feels realistic for the regular season, Roberts said, “Most likely. I wanted to kind of see where we’re at. I do like Kyle in the number two. He’s an on-base guy. He’s a left-handed, right-handed agnostic. And then Freddy and Will for me are two of our best run producers. So to see them in the four and the five, I like that. They should be hitting with guys on base all year. So we’ll see. But I think we can get used to that.”
He finished by talking about the overall depth, and this is where the conversation turned into a reminder of what this lineup can be every night. “Just seeing Teo [Hernandez] in there, the way he’s swinging the bat, Andy [Pages] the way he’s swinging the bat, and just knowing that we’re going to be relentless with our at-bats, our lineup. So it’s going to be tough to navigate, and I’ve played with it enough that it has hit me.”
Indeed, the way this lineup is shaping up, the way Teo and Pages are hitting early on, this could end up being a huge problem for the rest of the league. And that’s just the way Dave Roberts likes it.
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