Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
In all the rush to prepare for the post-World Series rush that’ll hit before the lockout date, I honestly forgot the Dodgers would hold an exit interview type of press conference to conclude the season, so this served as a welcome dump of news during these trying (content) times.
Not only were there general updates about the state of the roster and addressing concerns brought forth, but there were key health revelations made as well.
Anyway, a fun quote to start.
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Might as well start with the end of the season press conference with Andrew Friedman and Brandon Gomes since it contained a bunch of notable stuff.
By far the most talked about topic of late is the age of the Dodgers core, which is acknowledged by Friedman, but he mentions that it’s not a thing that is a surprise to them.
Andrew Friedman on the #Dodgers’ veteran core and the young talent coming through the farm system. pic.twitter.com/NkBZU8C7xb
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) October 21, 2026
The apparent lack of concern about it is likely due to their confidence in the prospects that are coming up, which he mentioned when a question is posed about the cliff a lot of dynasties face.
Basically what Friedman alludes to in answering the question about past teams in the Dodgers shoes falling off a cliff. Says they think the difference is their farm system is still strong. https://t.co/MP5uBQOkZK pic.twitter.com/IgHwjk91B0
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) October 22, 2026
That’s … not surprising, and as I’ve said myself, I don’t think it’s actually true that they’ve been overly slow in transitioning the roster considering the quality of players they’ve had on the team. It’s almost miraculous that they’ve been able to win titles while working in like a half-dozen prospects as it is (or finding homes for those who aren’t on their timeline).
They also both spoke on the most obvious guy that’s next up to get extended run, Josue De Paula.
Can’t wait to see him as a regular.
The other general thing that’s probably as pressing as anything else is whether the Dodgers will be impacted by Mark Walter‘s mess, and Friedman says no, but he’s realistically not gonna say anything else.
Meanwhile, for those hoping for coaching staff changes (Robert Van Scoyoc is a popular target), don’t get your hopes up.
As far as whether they should or not, I’m pretty agnostic.
When asked, Friedman did say they’ll be looking at the offense and the late-season downturns in back-to-back seasons, but there’s nothing concrete to it yet.
Also, I recently wrote a tribute post to Miguel Rojas for his retirement, and Friedman talked longer about his impact on the team.
Miggy’s impact goes beyond the box score. ?
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) October 21, 2026
Andrew Friedman on Miguel Rojas’ role in Mookie’s growth at shortstop, his mentorship of younger players and the mark he’s left on the Dodgers. pic.twitter.com/kHBiA1jCnM
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Okay, as far as updates on injuries and things of that nature, obviously the main thing everybody wants to know is Shohei Ohtani‘s status. Well, Friedman says he’s not going to be underdoing surgery for his ailments and that he will be pitching again next year.
“I fully expect him to pitch next year.”
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) October 21, 2026
Andrew Friedman provides an update on Shohei Ohtani’s health and how the Dodgers plan to manage his workload next season. pic.twitter.com/SjrTqLurUD
As far as whether that solved my concerns … well.
When talking about trying to optimize his regular season and keeping him healthy through the playoffs, he also kinda dispelled a common complaint about Shohei from this past season.
Whatever plan they come up with, just have to hope it works out, basically.
In injuries with more concrete plans, it was announced that Dalton Rushing would be undergoing an internal brace procedure to fix his UCL that’ll keep him out until after the All-Star break, and Will Klein will get his elbow cleaned up but should be ready to start the season.
In August, Rushing said he didn’t expect surgery to be necessary and tried to make his way back to contribute. The Dodgers got an 0-for-7 with a HBP out of that the rest of the way, and now his timetable will be pushed back almost three months. While he’ll still be able to hit before July, it’s hard to see them dedicating a spot to a designated hitter/pinch hitter with Shohei on the roster. Thus, acquiring Hunter Feduccia at the deadline now becomes all the more important in light of this news, as he’ll for sure get significant time as the backup now.
Relatedly, the Dodgers will also be shorter on organizational depth at the position as Ben Rortvedt has opted to become a minor-league free agent, according to his MLB profile. After being acquired for depth at the deadline, he posted a .370 OPS in just 28 plate appearances and was outrighted off the 40-man back in September.
Back to the surgery news, Klein similarly tried to make his way back to the playoff roster after dealing with an elbow issue at the end of July, and hopefully this procedure solves what was ailing him. Hard to say if it’s the entire reason, but Klein had a 2.29 ERA/2.79 FIP in 35.1 innings through July 4th, then gave up runs in all six of his remaining appearances across 6.1 innings for an 11.37 ERA and 6.89 FIP before going on the IL. Maybe not completely on his health, but not exactly a stretch to say something wasn’t right.
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Nothing truly unexpected was revealed here, but it should be interesting to see if anything else comes out over the course of the off-season in regards to the health of the roster going into 2027.
