Dodgers News: Robinson Ortiz & Ryan Ward Added to 40-Man Roster
The Dodgers have added Robinson Ortiz and Ryan Ward to the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule-5 Draft deadline.
LOS ANGELES, CA—While the Los Angeles Dodgers geared up for the 2026 offseason fresh off winning the 2025 World Series, their first primary task was sorting out their crowded 40-man roster.
While the team had to decide on two club options between left-hander Alex Vesia (1-year, $3.65 million) and veteran third baseman Max Muncy (1-year, $10 million) only one of those had an impact on the 40-man roster space.
With all 60-day injured list players also being re-added to the 40-man roster, the addition of Muncy pushed the 40-man roster to 41. However, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic later reported that the team had also added minor leaguers Ryan Ward and Robinson Ortiz to the roster.
That pushed the 40-man roster to 43 players, three over the limit, forcing the Dodgers to DFA right-handed pitcher Tony Gonsolin and place right-hander Michael Grove and outfielder Justin Dean on outright waivers, removing them from the 40-man roster.
The addition of Ryan Ward and Robinson Ortiz to their 40-man roster protects both players from the upcoming Rule-5 Draft in December. With the deadline to add other minor league-eligible players being November 18th, it seems the Dodgers got started early.
Ward was named the Pacific Coast League (PCL) MVP after hitting .290/.380/.557 with 36 home runs and 122 RBIs for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets. He was the second player from OKC to win the PCL MVP award, following former Dodgers prospect Michael Busch in 2023.
He led Minor League Baseball in home runs, RBIs, 73 extra-base hits, and 315 total bases. Among Pacific Coast League (PCL) leaders, Ward ranked second with 113 runs scored, and he was third in both slugging percentage (.557) and OPS (.937), while ranking fourth with 164 hits.
The minor league player has a combined .265/.265.341/.503 batting line with 150 home runs across more than 600 games and seems to be finally approaching his opportunity to join the major league team at age 27.
Ortiz posted a 5-2 record with a 2.73 ERA over 48 games this year, spanning High-A Great Lakes, Double-A Tulsa, and Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The 25-year-old started the season with the Loons but was transferred to Double-A on June 17th. With the Drillers, he posted a 1.69 ERA with a 3-0 record before being promoted again on August 12th.
The southpaw has spent six seasons with the organization, compiling a 17-12 record, a 3.48 ERA, and a 9.0 strikeout per inning ratio over 99 minor league games. He was signed as an international free agent on June 2nd, 2017, from Peravia, Dominican Republic.
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