Dodgers spring training live updates: L.A. to start season with 5-man rotation

The Dodgers are monitoring another injury to one of their best hitters.

Catcher Will Smith might not be available for the start of Cactus League play, manager Dave Roberts said Friday, because of ankle soreness that Smith said has lingered since last season.

Both Smith and Roberts downplayed the severity of the issue, insisting it shouldn’t impact Smith’s availability for the start of the regular season. Smith has been an active participant in the Dodgers’ workouts this week, taking batting practice and catching bullpen sessions.

However, Roberts said Smith has been limited running, and making use of an AlterG anti-gravity treadmill.

Smith is the third Dodger unlikely to play in the team’s Cactus League opener, joining Freddie Freeman (recovery from offseason ankle surgery) and Shohei Ohtani (recovery from offseason shoulder surgery).

PHOENIX — Last year was supposed to go differently for Dodgers pitcher Dustin May.

Out since the middle of 2023 following a flexor tendon and Tommy John revision surgery, the hard-throwing right-hander was on track to return to action before the end of the season.

By early July he was just a week away from a minor-league rehab stint, and a mere month or so from potentially rejoining the roster.

Even more encouraging was that as May neared the end of his recovery from his second major surgery (May had Tommy John in 2021), he finally was feeling like his old self, hopeful of returning to the shorthanded starting rotation and playing a key late-season role in the Dodgers’ push for a World Series title.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he is “optimistic” that he will finalize a new contract extension with the team before the end of spring camp.

The Dodgers have continued to talk with Roberts, who is entering the final year of his current deal, about an extension of late, according to president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.

With the signings of infielder Alex Bregman by the Boston Red Sox and starting pitcher Nick Pivetta by the San Diego Padres, a reasonably fair evaluation of winners and losers this offseason can be made.

The top 31 free agents as listed by The Times all have found new homes. So have numerous other players through the free-agent and trade markets. It’s time to identify trends, recognize teams that greatly improved and chide those who stood pat or took a step backward.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone hopes his team does this year what the Dodgers did last season — win a championship.

If that happens, however, Boone doesn’t want his players to behave in the same manner as some Dodgers players have in the aftermath of beating the Yankees in the 2024 World Series.

PHOENIX — He turns 37 next month. He’s the most decorated pitcher of his generation and one of the most decorated pitchers in history. He’s won an MVP award and three Cy Young Awards. He’s a two-time World Series champion.

So why is Clayton Kershaw still doing this?

PHOENIX — Last year, Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s season debut was a cause for alarm.

This year it will signal just how much trust the Japanese right-hander has earned entering his second season with the Dodgers.

When the Dodgers begin their Cactus League spring training schedule next week, don’t expect to see Freddie Freeman or Shohei Ohtani in the starting lineup.

With Freeman still recovering from offseason ankle surgery, and Ohtani continuing to work back from offseason shoulder surgery, manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that neither player is likely to play from the outset of the club’s Cactus League schedule, which begins Feb. 20 against the Chicago Cubs.

Freeman has not yet been cleared for running activities, Roberts said, and will probably miss the first week of Cactus League action.

Roberts remained optimistic Freeman would be ready for opening day, but noted he might give the 35-year-old some off days early in the regular season.

“Once the season gets going and depending on where he’s at, I think we’ll know more,” Roberts said. “But obviously we don’t want this to linger all season and if it calls for him to start late or get days off – whatever makes the most sense we’re going to do.”

Ohtani is further along in his recovery than Freeman, taking part in batting practice this week barely three months removed from a procedure to repair the torn labrum he suffered in last year’s World Series.

Because of that, Roberts said he expected Ohtani to play in Cactus League games “early on” in camp, but acknowledged it might not be from the outset of spring play.

The Dodgers officially announced Clayton Kershaw’s re-signing on Thursday, agreeing to a one-year deal for $7.5 million that could reportedly rise to $18 million through bonuses for the number of games he starts and number of days he spends on the active roster.

Talking to reporters shortly after his contract with finalized, Kershaw said he is expecting to start the season on the 60-day injured list following offseason foot and knee surgeries — which were required to address injuries that sidelined Kershaw for the playoffs last year.

But, once the 60 days are up, Kershaw said he is hopeful he will be close to returning; aiming to enjoy a healthier and more productive season than he did last year, when myriad injuries limited him to just seven starts.

Kershaw is returning to the Dodgers for the 18th season of his illustrious career — having decided before the end of last year he wouldn’t retire, or test free agency with any other club.

In his seven starts last year, Kershaw went only 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA. He missed the first half of the season recovering from shoulder surgery. Then, his late-season toe injury sidelined him for all of September and October.

PHOENIX — Which Los Angeles newcomer will have a better season, Roki Sasaki or Luka Doncic?

“Being biased,” Dave Roberts said with a hearty laugh, “I hope it’s Roki.”

PHOENIX — In his first batting practice of spring training on Wednesday, it took just four swings for Shohei Ohtani to look like himself.

Barely three months removed from the left shoulder surgery he underwent to repair the torn labrum he suffered in the World Series, Ohtani arrived at camp this week in something of rehab mode.

As part of their half-billion dollar offseason, the Dodgers added a couple of veteran relievers this winter to bolster their bullpen depth.

Come opening day, however, two of their best relief arms from last season might begin the season on the injured list.

According to manager Dave Roberts, Evan Phillips and Michael Kopech came into camp “a little bit behind schedule” in their throwing progressions after dealing with injuries this offseason.

Kopech dealt with some forearm inflammation last month. Phillips, meanwhile, didn’t begin his offseason throwing program until January — about a month later than usual — while recovering from a tear in the back of his rotator cuff that he suffered during the playoffs last October.

Phillips sustained his injury in the National League Championship Series, saying Wednesday that his shoulder started to bother him following a 34-pitch outing in Game 4 of that series.

While Phillips managed to pitch again in Game 6, he was left off the Dodgers’ World Series roster after an MRI exam revealed a tear in his shoulder muscles.

The good news for Phillips, a seven-year veteran who has posted a 2.28 ERA in his four seasons with the Dodgers, is that the injury didn’t require surgery.

“What I was told is that because it was just a muscle tear and the ligaments were mostly intact [I didn’t need surgery],” Phillips said. “What they could see from the ligaments was pretty standard for throwing athletes.”

Instead, Phillips received a platelet-rich plasma injection after the season, had a follow-up MRI exam in December that confirmed his recovery was progressing as the team had hoped, and began throwing again in early January.

Phillips said his shoulder feels good now, and hasn’t given up all hope of being ready for opening day. But, he said he is still about a month behind — and is being careful to not rush himself back given the Dodgers’ loaded bullpen depth chart, which includes offseason signings Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott (a close friend and former teammate of Phillips’ with the Baltimore Orioles).

“I think the training staff, strength staff, even teammates are happy to see where I’m at,” Phillips said. “It’s a matter of just keep on building out from here. I don’t think there’s an expectation yet. It’s all based on how I respond to each obstacle along the way.”

The Dodgers are only two days into spring training. But, they already have an idea about who they want starting their first two games.

In his first camp media availability at Camelback Ranch on Wednesday, manager Dave Roberts said it’s fair to expect Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto to get the team’s opening day start when their season begins in Tokyo next month with a two-game series against the Chicago Cubs.

Roberts also said the second game of that series could go to newly-signed 23-year-old Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, but that the team wants to see how the young right-hander progresses through his first MLB spring training before making that decision.

Having Yamamoto and Sasaki pitch during the Japan trip would hardly be a surprise, giving both a chance to play regular-season MLB games in their home country. In at least one of the contests, which will be held at the Tokyo Dome, they will square off against a fellow countryman too, with the Cubs expected to start fellow Japanese star Shota Imanaga during the trip.

Sasaki threw his first bullpen of camp on Wednesday, before a large crowd of teammates, coaches, club executives and media members.

PHOENIX — The Dodgers have fielded stacked teams during the previous 12 years, but none of them were as stacked as the team they have now.

A $1.4-billion winter last year was followed by a $465-million winter this year, the continued investments in the roster offering them a chance to do more than become the first team to defend its World Series title in 25 years.

PHOENIX — As the Dodgers officially opened spring training at Camelback Ranch on Tuesday, reminders of the team’s 2024 World Series title were everywhere.

On the side of the hitting facility building, a banner had been added to the seven other championship markers. On a grass hill behind one of the backfields, a large painting of the club’s World Series championship logo loomed behind the backstop. That same logo was plastered around the clubhouse too, printed on nameplates adorning every locker.

Other than the arrival of pitcher Clayton Kershaw — whose new contract with the Dodgers is not yet finalized, but could be as soon as Wednesday — there were few surprises at the Dodgers’ first workout of spring training Tuesday.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Dustin May headlined the group of pitchers to throw bullpen sessions at the team’s Camelback Ranch facility. Kershaw and Shohei Ohtani also played catch, though neither is expected to be ready to pitch by opening day.

Mookie Betts, Will Smith, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández were among the group of hitters who arrived at camp early and were taking batting practice.

The rest of the Dodgers’ position players are set to report to spring training by the end of this week. The team’s Cactus League schedule will kick off on Feb. 20 with a game against the Chicago Cubs — who will also be the Dodgers’ opening day opponent in Tokyo next month when the team’s regular season begins with a two-game series in Japan.

Kenley Jansen is returning to Southern California, the veteran closer agreeing to terms on Tuesday to a one-year, $10-million contract with the Angels pending a physical, according to a person familiar with the deal but not authorized to speak publicly about it.

Jansen, a 37-year-old right-hander, is baseball’s active leader in saves (447) and appearances (871), the majority of those coming during his 12-year stint with the Dodgers, when he went 37-26 with a 2.37 ERA and 350 saves in 701 games from 2010 to 2021.

After welcoming a flurry of new faces to the organization this offseason, the Dodgers brought back a much more familiar figure on Sunday.

The team and Kiké Hernández have agreed on a one-year contract that will see the veteran utilityman re-sign with the club for its World Series defense in 2025, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly.

His name isn’t officially on the Dodgers’ roster yet.

But future Hall of Fame pitcher Clayton Kershaw was in attendance for the team’s first workout of spring training on Tuesday at Camelback Ranch in Arizona.

As had been expected all offseason, Kershaw is finally in the process of completing a new contract with the Dodgers. The 36-year-old still has to complete a physical, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. His deal could be finalized as soon as Wednesday.

Kershaw is returning to the Dodgers for the 18th season of his illustrious career — having decided before the end of last year he wouldn’t retire, or test free agency with any other club.

Kershaw managed only seven starts last year, going 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA. He missed the first half of the season recovering from shoulder surgery. Then, a late-season toe injury sidelined him for all of September and October. In November, Kershaw had surgery on both his toe and knee.

Because of that procedure, Kershaw likely won’t be ready to pitch early in the season. However, the three-time Cy Young Award winner has begun a throwing program, and played long toss at Tuesday alongside other Dodgers pitchers.

Like Kershaw, veteran utilityman Kiké Hernández was also in camp Tuesday, even though his re-signing with the team has also not yet been finalized. Hernández struck a one-year deal with the Dodgers on Sunday that will pay him $6.5 million in 2025, according to a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.

PHOENIX — A familiar face is returning to the Dodgers’ front office.

On Monday, the club brought back former general manager Farhan Zaidi in a special advisor role, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. In his new position, Zaidi will also assist team owner and chairman Mark Walter in the businessman’s other sports interests.

Plenty more to come from Camelback Ranch from Dodgers beat reporter Jack Harris and columnist Dylan Hernández, but this is the early look at the scene:

PHOENIX — Ninety-nine percent.

According to Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projection system, that is the Dodgers’ likelihood of making the playoffs this year. A whopping 99.4%, to be exact, before a single pitch has even been thrown.