Los Angeles Dodgers utility man Tommy Edman sought to assuage worries after news broke that he’ll miss Opening Day due to having offseason ankle surgery.
Edman, 30, missed much of the 2025 campaign due to two separate stints on the injured list, and when he was on the field, he played second base instead of center field as a result.
While he won’t be ready for the start of the season, Edman said Monday from spring training that he is progressing in his recovery.
“Opening Day was going to be a really aggressive goal, just in case it happened to heal/recover faster than we expected it to,” he said. “I think everything is based on like past instances with this kind of surgery. I think I’ve hit every checkpoint along the way in terms of being 12 weeks out at this point, 14 weeks, whatever I’m at at this point. So yeah, I feel like I’m on schedule with that, just kind of see how it goes with each step along the way.”
Edman explained that the real benchmarks of his recovery will be when he’s comfortable with sudden acceleration and changing direction.
“I think it all comes back to like the first step,” he said. “Just feeling like I can be explosive off the ball and not feel hesitant at all about getting up to top speed. And then also being able to cut at top speed, too, which is kind of the base running aspect of that.”
He also emphasized that, thus far, there haven’t been any setbacks, and he will continue to be “smart” about his recovery.
“That’s gonna be the main thing, just making sure that I keep on progressing and don’t have any issues bouncing back the way I do it,” he said.
Who Will Fill in at Second Base?
With Edman out of commission, the Dodgers have several options to fill out the infield.
Possibilities include Miguel Rojas, Hyeseong Kim, Alex Freeland and the recently signed Santiago Espinal.
While Kim and Freeland will be in only their second season with the Dodgers, Rojas and Espinal both bring years of experience.
At spring training, Kim told Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain that getting the Opening Day start would be a dream.
“As a baseball player, it’s something I’ve always dreamed of, to start on an Opening Day roster at second base,” he said. “That’s why I worked hard in the offseason for it.”
Dave Roberts Comments on Edman’s Recovery
Manager Dave Roberts was asked Monday by McKain about Edman’s rehabilitation, and Doc noted that Edman has taken some swings on both sides of the plate and done some jogging and skipping as well.
“Each day, there’s been progress,” Roberts said.
Roberts added that he also does not want to see any setbacks, and the team is taking a “methodical” approach.
“It takes a while to get your body into baseball shape, so we’re not going to rush it. We want to put him in the best position,” he said.
One Response
I Get It, We Wanna Be Smart And Make Sure Tommy Is Ready To Play. And As Far As Who Should Get The Majority Of Starts At Second There Shouldn’t Be A Question Miguel Has The Experience And Has Earned The Trust. I Would Rest Him Now And Then And Let Whoever Fill In For Him. 50 Plus Years Dodgers Fan Here.