Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts spoke to reporters, together with Jack Harris of the California Submit, and supplied some updates concerning the gamers on the roster and their well being or lack thereof. Maybe most notably, the skipper stated left-hander Blake Snell is making a little bit of progress in his ramp-up however might be working out of time to be prepared for Opening Day.
The Dodgers received the World Sequence just a few months in the past however did so with a lopsided pitching employees. The bullpen was pretty shaky, so that they leaned arduous on their starters, even utilizing them in reduction. Snell tossed 5 innings within the first recreation of the World Sequence, 6 2/3 within the fifth recreation, then an inning and a 3rd out of the bullpen within the seventh recreation. In January, Snell admitted that he was exhausted by the tip of the collection.
He and the membership are planning for a deliberate buildup right here in camp, centered extra on the long run than Opening Day. That’s a luxurious the Dodgers can afford because the roster is so sturdy that they’ll downplay the significance of standard season video games, ensuring their gamers are centered on being wholesome in October. With this strategy in thoughts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the one pitcher on the roster to throw not less than 113 innings final 12 months.
There’s no actual motive for Snell and the Dodgers to push for him to be prepared for Opening Day. The rotation ought to nonetheless be sturdy even with out him in it. Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Emmet Sheehan ought to have 4 spots locked. Roki Sasaki will possible take the fifth. Guys like River Ryan, Ben Casparius, Justin Wrobleski, Kyle Damage, Gavin Stone or Landon Knack may step as much as make begins, if wanted.
Turning to the bullpen, Roberts additionally stated right-hander Brusdar Graterol is in a “holding sample” and has not thrown off a mound currently. It was already recognized that he wouldn’t be prepared for Opening Day however it’s notable that he’s nonetheless not making a lot progress.
Graterol was a key piece of the Dodger bullpen from 2020 to 2023, posting a 2.69 earned run common over 173 2/3 innings, however has hardly thrown for the previous two years. Shoulder issues and a hamstring pressure capped him at seven outings in 2024. Surgical procedure on that shoulder worn out his 2025 and it appears he’s nonetheless not absolutely over the hump. Just like the Snell scenario, the Dodgers can afford to not rush him and let him get to full well being, however it might be encouraging to see some progress.
Roberts additionally famous that right-hander Bobby Miller has not but thrown off a mound this spring attributable to some unspecified arm/shoulder difficulty. He’s hoping to ramp up within the subsequent few weeks however that’s presumably contingent on the problem subsiding.
Miller is a wild card on the roster. He appeared to interrupt out in 2023, making his main league debut with a 3.76 ERA in 124 1/3 innings. However he posted an unsightly 8.52 ERA in 2024 after which spent most of 2025 on non-obligatory project with a 5.66 ERA in Triple-A. He was moved from the rotation to the bullpen in July however his outcomes didn’t enhance, with a 5.91 ERA after that swap. He struck out 28.6% of batters confronted in that reduction function but additionally gave out walks at a giant 13.2% clip. He nonetheless has a few choices, so the Dodgers can hold tinkering with him within the minors so long as they proceed to deem him worthy of a spot on the 40-man.
Picture courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Pictures
