Cody Snavely
LOS ANGELES— The Los Angeles Dodgers returned home after their two-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs to kick off the 2025 Major League Baseball season in Tokyo, Japan, at the famous Tokyo Dome. However, before they return to regular season action, they’ll begin a short three-game exhibition series against their freeway rival, the Los Angeles Angels.
Game One of the series will be played at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, March 23rd, at 5:10 PM PT. It’ll be the first game at Dodger Stadium since Game Two of the 2024 World Series and the first since the massive $100 million renovations done this winter.
The projected starters for the three games have yet to be announced by the team or Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, but one name that will likely be seen is right-handed pitcher Dustin May.
May, 27, was announced the winner of the fifth spot in the Dodgers starting rotation and stayed at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, continuing to get built up. May will possibly get one of the three exhibition games as a final tune-up for his first start of the regular season and his first appearance since May 17th, 2023.
Another storyline to watch for during this series is if two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will ramp up his throwing program with the team now back in the States full-time. Ohtani and the Dodgers stated that the three-time Most Valuable Player Award winner would slow down his ramp-up as a pitcher to focus on getting ready as a hitter.
Ohtani has still been throwing a baseball, as seen in the multiple workouts held in Japan and pregame work before the two exhibition games and the two-game series against the Cubs. Ohtani and Dave Roberts stated that a mid-May return seemed possible, but neither side has made any deadlines since.
Another major question mark for the Dodgers as they return home and get ready for domestic Opening Day against the Detroit Tigers next week is what the plan is for second base and center field.
When the Dodgers entered camp, fans almost assuredly expected utilityman Tommy Edman to get the bulk of playing time in center field, as was the plan last October before the team made the switch, putting Edman at shortstop.
The Dodgers had four total players for the two positions: Andy Pages, James Outman, Hyeseong Kim, and Tommy Edman.
Edman was already guaranteed a roster spot, but the other three were competing for those final spots on the Dodgers 26-man roster.
Prior to the team leaving for Tokyo, Japan, the Dodgers opted to leave Hyeseong Kim off the 31-man roster, instead optioning him to Triple-A OKC to begin the season. After the series, the Dodgers also optioned James Outman to Triple-A OKC, all but confirming Andy Pages would get the final roster spot.
In both games in Tokyo, Japan, Tommy Edman started at second base with Andy Pages in center field, which was expected as Pages excelled at hitting left-handed pitchers last season, posting a 154 wRC+.
However, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did not see it that way when asked if the team had a plan for an everyday role at either position for now.
“I think it’s just going to remain fluid,” Roberts said. “I think that’s a position where we have different players that can play second base, can play center field. So it’s not going to be one certain situation, versus left, versus right.
“I think just kind of rotating Tommy [Edman], Kiké [Hernández], Miggy Ro[jas] at second base, Tommy in center field, Andy [Pages] in center field – so it’s going to kind of remain fluid. I think each of those guys is going to play between three and call it five days (a week) – outside of Tommy, who’s going to be essentially an everyday guy.”
As former Los Angeles Times writer Mike DiGiovanna stated earlier this spring, the “V” for the Dodgers means more than just victory; it also means versatility.
The Dodgers have the luxury of multiple versatile players who can play a multitude of positions on the baseball field. However, while I do value Edman’s versatility, I’ve argued that being the full-time second baseman works better for the club as that is his Gold Glove Award-winning position.
Lastly, Major League Baseball insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic suggested that the Dodges have a “numbers problem” regarding their starting pitching, meaning that they simply have a surplus that they’ll have to act on eventually.
As mentioned above, the Dodgers will open the 2025 regular season with a traditional five-man starting staff: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Dustin May.
During the series, the Dodgers also placed multiple pitchers on the injured list, such as Tony Gonsolin (back), Clayton Kershaw (knee/toe), and Emmet Sheehan (UCL). Prior to the Tokyo Series, the Dodgers optioned multiple starters to the minors, including Bobby Miller and Justin Wrobleski.
Then you have Shohei Ohtani, who is set to return to the mound this summer, leaving the Dodgers with ten viable starting rotation options. While the team will incorporate a six-man rotation when Ohtani does return, it still leaves the team with an issue, as you can’t just hide starters in the bullpen forever.
However, the counterargument for this is that the Dodgers have been decimated by multiple injuries in their pitching department. Look at last October when 3/4 of their Opening Day rotation was either gone or on the injured list.
Injuries happen, and the Dodgers’ sustained success is due to their depth at every possible position. As the old adage goes, you can never have too much pitching. However, we will see what the Dodgers’ plans are come the tread deadline.
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