Cody Snavely
It’s hard to believe, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are three full games into the 2025 season and are winless in Cactus League Play. However, the Dodgers have taken a conservative approach with their roster after coming off a World Series title and the short offseason that comes with it.
While the Dodgers wrapped up their third spring training game today at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, we got plenty of updates about the team, including Bobby Miller, Shohei Ohtani, Hyeseong Kim, and the pitching plan leading into the upcoming week.
Miller Provides Updates on Head Injury
The Los Angeles Dodgers and right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller have dodged a massive bullet as the pitcher has no serious injury after being hit by a 106mph comeback line drive in the head.
On the very first day of Cactus League action, the Dodgers opened the third inning with third-year pro Bobby Miller on the mound, making his 2025 season debut. However, the outing was brief after Miller had exited the game after the incident.
Miller hung a curveball in the middle of the zone to former Los Angeles Dodgers top prospect Michael Bush to which the now Chicago Cubs first baseman hit on the screws back to its sender, hitting Miller square in the forehead.
Miller shared a similar sentiment to what many other fans across the sport felt. He is gracious that nothing serious happened and reiterated that it could have been much worse.
Still, two days after the injury, Miller stated he was still dealing with headaches and drowsiness and had not yet resumed his throwing program until the team gave him the all-clear signal.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked about the Miller injury and when we could possibly see him return in spring training. Roberts replied that he was confident.
“Little bit of a headache, but there’s no fracture, he slept fine, feels much better today than he did yesterday,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Friday.
“He’s just going to sort of lay low, but he feels very confident that he can pick up his throwing program soon. He’s just got to keep going through the concussion protocol to make sure we’re on the right track.”
On the bright side, the injury happened early enough that Miller still has time to rejoin the Dodgers and compete for the fifth spot in the Dodgers starting rotation with Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin. We here at DodgersBeat wish him the best on a speedy recovery.
Hyeseong Kim to Get Work in CF
After the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-10 loss to the Kansas City Royals in Game Three of the Cactus League, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated that Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim would get some work in center field this spring.
Kim has some experience playing in the outfield from his time in Korea, though he was only used in right or left field, never center. However, the Dodgers view his speed and athleticism as being well suited to center field, giving them a much-needed left-field option for the position.
Currently, the Dodgers have utilityman Tommy Edman set to take the full-time gig in the center along with Andy Pages, the second-year pro who came up through the Dodgers minor league system as a right fielder.
The Dodgers’ ability to have Kim play a multitude of positions gives them more flexibility on their roster and allows Edman to potentially return to his Gold Glove Award-winning position of second base.
Kim has turned many heads at Dodgers camp so far this spring, but as the games so far have shown, it will be a learning curve for Kim’s bat to translate from the KBO (Korean Baseball Organization) to Major League Baseball.
Andy Pages’s spot on the roster is not certain. Dave Roberts stated that the 24-year-old is competing for one of the final spots after being a vital member of the Dodgers platoon against lefties last season.
Ohtani Throws His Third Bullpen of the Spring
While the Los Angeles Dodgers continued their start to the Cactus League with their third game against the Royals earlier today, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani threw his third bullpen of spring training.
What was unique about this bullpen compared to the other two is that Ohtani was seen incorporating offspeed pitches and continued using his new windup.
Ohtani is now ramping up to potentially face live hitters at the start of March and will return to the Dodgers lineup before the end of February, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Dave Roberts also stated that today, Shohei Ohtani touched 95 mph in his 25-pitch bullpen session and that adding cutters was “a big step” in his overall recovery from 2023 Tommy John Surgery.
Ohtani is not expected to appear in any Cactus League games as a pitcher but could ramp up to facing hitters before the start of the regular season as he and the Dodgers are eying a May return to the starting rotation.
Pitching Probables for Upcoming Games
The Los Angeles Dodgers have a string of games coming up this week and are set to have appearances from multiple pitchers making their 2025 Cactus League debuts.
Right-handed pitcher Dustin May, who has missed the last two seasons with various injuries, will kick off tomorrow’s game against the San Diego Padres. It will be May’s first appearance in a game since May 2023.
After that, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also stated that right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow will make his spring debut on Monday, and lefty Blake Snell will make his first spring appearance on Tuesday.
As for newly signed 23-year-old Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, Roberts hinted that he could debut this upcoming week but did not know whether that would be in a game or a simulated game in the backfields.
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