Dodgers fans got their first look at the club’s star-studded 2025 team on Saturday, at an annual DodgerFest fan event at Dodger Stadium.
And based on the seemingly endless line of cars pulling into Chavez Ravine, the cheers that echoed around the stadium’s parking lot celebration (held there with the ballpark itself still under renovation), and the raucous ovation the reigning World Series champions received a week before the start of training camp, the thousands in attendance liked what they saw.
“It’s like the Avengers, the Monstars [from the movie ‘Space Jam’],” pitcher Tyler Glasnow said of a roster that has been bolstered by Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott and others during a free-spending winter from the front office.
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“There was a buzz last year when we got Shohei,” echoed first baseman Freddie Freeman, “and there’s a major buzz here 1738458455.”
Amid all that buzz, Saturday did bring a few new developments on the eve of a new season.
Here are five things that were learned from this year’s DodgerFest event:
Shohei Ohtani hitting and pitching plan
Exactly when Shohei Ohtani will be ready to pitch in the majors again remains unclear, as the two-way star completes the final stages of his recovery from a 2023 Tommy John revision.
But roughly three months removed from a separate shoulder surgery this offseason to repair a torn labrum he suffered in the World Series, Ohtani said he is “on schedule” in his rehab as a hitter, maintaining confidence he will be in the Dodgers’ lineup as the designated hitter when the team’s season begins in Tokyo next month.
“The offseason felt short, and obviously with the surgery, it was even shorter,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “But as of now, it seems like I’m on schedule. I’ve been able to work out every day. And I’m really looking forward to being on time for spring training.”
The bigger question currently is when Ohtani, who didn’t pitch at all last season while rehabbing his elbow, will return to the mound. Ohtani said it’s too early to “pinpoint when exactly” for now, and that much will depend on how he feels once he starts throwing bullpen sessions in spring training.
Manager Dave Roberts said the team is hoping to have Ohtani rejoin the rotation by May, but that it also “might be earlier.”
“Once he gets to spring training and we see where the throwing program is, I’ll think we’ll just go from there,” Roberts said.
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Other injury updates
Ohtani isn’t the only Dodgers star who spent the offseason recovering from surgery.
Freeman underwent surgery in December to remove loose bodies and floating cartilage from the ankle he severely sprained late last season.
As a result, he only began hitting again two days ago and hasn’t yet been cleared to run, but is confident he will be back to 100% in time for opening day.
Veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas also spent much of the winter on the mend, after developing an infection following hernia surgery early in the offseason that delayed his recovery by a couple weeks. Yet, he too is expected to be ready for the start of the season, saying he already feels “pretty close to 100% right now.”
On the mound, the Dodgers are also hopeful of having a relatively full-strength staff come opening day. That includes Glasnow, who missed last year’s postseason with what he revealed on Saturday was elbow tendinitis, but recovered early enough in the winter to have a normal offseason training program.
Door open for Kiké Hernández return
At one point Saturday, a chant of “Kiké! Kiké!” broke out around the DodgerFest crowd –– with fans (and Dodgers players alike) hopeful that the team will re-sign utilityman Kiké Hernández following his October heroics last year.
“Everybody’s waiting for that news to pop up,” outfielder Teoscar Hernández said. “I want Kiké to be back.”
According to general manager Brandon Gomes, a reunion remains possible.
“Obviously, we’d never close the door to Kiké,” Gomes said. “I think a lot of it is just making sure he and his family feel like it’s the best position for him. But we’ll have those conversations.”
Given the Dodgers’ current roster crunch –– their 40-man roster is full, and will remain so until the club can start putting injured players on the 60-day injured list at the start of spring training –– it’s possible Hernández’s free agency could play similarly to last year, when he didn’t re-sign with the Dodgers until a few weeks into preseason camp.
He hit .294 with two home runs and six RBIs in the playoffs last season.
Read more: Analysis: How past trade deadline scrambles motivated Dodgers’ winter spending spree
Clayton Kershaw coming back too
The Dodgers are also still planning to finalize their long-expected re-signing of Clayton Kershaw, though whether that will happen before the start of spring training also remains to be seen.
“We’ve been in touch with Clayton, and a lot of it has been seeing how he’s feeling and throwing,” Gomes said of Kershaw, who had a toe and knee operation early this winter after being sidelined during the playoffs.
Kershaw said multiple times near the end of last year that he would return to the Dodgers in 2025, for what will be his 18th season in Los Angeles. However, his offseason rehab could prevent him from being ready for opening day.
“I think a lot of it will just depend on how the throwing program goes and making sure that he feels like he’s set up for success,” Gomes said.
Dave Roberts contract
The other key offseason task the Dodgers have yet to complete: A contract extension for Roberts, whose current deal is set to expire at the end of 2025.
Roberts has been expected to negotiate a lucrative extension this winter, after leading the club to the second World Series of his nine-year tenure. Gomes said the front office has “been in contact with Dave” regarding a new deal, but nothing has been completed.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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