As the MLB hot stove continues to percolate, there are still a slew of factors that could affect how the Opening Day roster for the Los Angeles Dodgers shapes up in 2025. More specifically, there are various scenarios that could affect where some players appear regularly on the field.
What we know for certain, as far as position players go, is that Shohei Ohtani will do the bulk of the designated hitting, Freddie Freeman will be at first base, Will Smith will be behind the plate and newly acquired Michael Conforto will see time at the corner outfield spots. It’s also highly likely that Max Muncy will be the club’s regular third baseman.
However, the moment you begin talking about Mookie Betts and Tommy Edman, the rest of the lineup becomes a whirlwind. Yes, Betts is presumably set to return to the infield on a full-time basis, but we’ve already heard that narrative before. And, if the Dodgers don’t make any more high impact moves, it could be safe to say that Edman could be the team’s regular center fielder, particularly if the club awards the primary shortstop spot to Betts or Miguel Rojas.
A lot to digest, right?
So, with Rojas at short, Betts at second and Edman in center, it pretty much eliminates Gavin Lux as an everyday player. If Betts settles in at short, it keeps the door open for Lux at second with Rojas and Edman providing cover for Mookie. Obviously, skipper Dave Roberts does a fine job with hitting matchups and rotating players into the lineup, but it doesn’t make much sense having a 27-year-old Lux ride the pine for the majority of the time if the club could get at least something resourceful for him in a trade.
According to some rumblings around the league, the Dodgers and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez have reached an impasse, which may or may not have spurred the signing of the lefty-hitting Conforto. Those same rumblings suggest Los Angeles might be in pursuit of names like Seiya Suzuki or Luis Robert Jr. as a righty-hitting outfield replacement for Hernandez. Additionally, they mention a potential fit with infielder Ha-Seong Kim, if only for the sake of adding a legit righty bat to the offensive mix.
Utility man Chris Taylor is still around for at least one more year — at least as far as the payroll goes — but the fact that he hasn’t hit over .237 for a full season since 2021 suggests he might be running out of gas offensively. We also haven’t heard anything about Enrique Hernandez. Although Hernandez has expressed a desire to return to Los Angeles, it might be tough to find a roster spot for him, especially with guys like Taylor, Edman and Conforto around.
Regardless, if 2025 Cactus League play were to start tomorrow, and if the Dodgers stick to their guns of keeping Betts on the dirt, the primary outfield would likely consist of Edman in center, Conforto in left (he appeared in 106 games there for the Giants last year) and Andy pages in right, with Taylor lurking and James Outman given every possibility to earn a roster spot out of spring training.
It’s not the perfect picture on paper, but having Enrique Hernandez as the everyday center fielder in the 2024 World Series wasn’t either.