Dodgers spring training officially begins next week at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, so let’s take a look at the roster heading into camp. We’ll start first with the infielders, the deepest (and oldest) group on the team among position players.
Dodgers infielders hit .257/.332/.422 as a group in 2025, easily outpacing the outfielders at .240/.299/.415. The team upgraded heavily in the latter in signing Kyle Tucker, while the infielders are mostly the same group in 2026.
40-man roster infielders
Things to watch
Will Mookie Betts find his bat? That Betts transformed from a longtime Gold Glove-winning outfielder into a capable major league shortstop defensively was remarkable, and kept him quite valuable even as his offense waned. Betts hit .258/.326/.406 with a 104 wRC+, worsts across the board in his 12-year career, in a season that began with a stomach virus that depleted his weight in March. Betts at Dodgers Fest on Saturday talked about his offseason plan to re-find his mojo at the plate.
Tommy Edman’s ankle: Edman had right ankle surgery in November, and his readiness for opening day might be in question. But there’s hope that the season as a whole will be healthier after being bothered by the ankle over the last year and a half, and playing only 134 games combined over the last two seasons. With Tucker on board, Edman’s time will probably be mostly spent on the dirt in 2026, playing second base for the bulk of his time.
Platoon at third base? Max Muncy missed significant time with injuries over the last two seasons, starting 162 games. That left time for eight other players to combine for the other 162 starts over the hot corner in 2024-25. Since the start of 2022, Muncy against left-handed pitchers has hit .165/.281/.375 with an 84 wRC+, with seasonal OPS of .679, .642, .743, and .594 against same-handed pitchers.
This might have been a role for Andy Ibáñez, who signed a one-year deal on January 13 (before Tucker signed) to likely mash lefties, with a career 115 wRC+ against southpaws. But he was designated for assignment on Tuesday. Miguel Rojas, who has a 121 wRC+ against lefties over the last two seasons, started 20 games at third base in 2025.
What role for Hyeseong Kim? The signee out of the KBO last season was exceptional defensively at second base but was overmatched at the plate down the stretch, ending at .280/.314/.385 with a 95 wRC+ and 30.6-percent strikeout rate after a hot start. Kim’s best opportunity at playing time probably rests in the fact that the ages of those above him on the depth chart are 36, 31, 33, 35, and 37 years old.
Welcome back, Kiké? It seemed highly likely that human security blanket Kiké Hernández would return once again to the Dodgers eventually this offseason. But with Ibáñez now out, a Hernández return seems even more inevitable. He might miss time at the beginning of the season after left elbow surgery in November, but as long as he’s healthy ready by October it’ll be fine. Hernández signed with the Dodgers on or after the first day of spring training camp in each of the last two seasons, if you’re wondering about the timing.
W-B-Seeya: Kim is the lone Dodgers infielder headed to the World Baseball Classic, which will keep him out of spring camp for at least two weeks or so. He’ll represent Korea in the WBC, which begins pool play in Tokyo on March 5.
Read the full article here