With Tucker in town, Roberts breaks down lineup challenges

The 2026 Dodgers made their first public appearance Saturday, getting raucous ovations at Dodger Stadium during the team’s annual Fanfest event.

And with most players in attendance, the afternoon provided some clarity on where the team stands two weeks before the start of spring training.

Here are eight things we learned entering the new season:

–– Tommy Edman said it’s a “possibility” that he’ll be ready for opening day after having ankle surgery this offseason. But the utilityman also cautioned that he will be ramping up at a slower pace this spring following the procedure, in which he had a ligament repaired and bone spurs removed. Edman has been out of his walking boot for the last 2 ½ weeks, and began baseball activities again in recent days. He said he has “hit every checkpoint along the way of the recovery.”

–– Blake Snell expounded on the physical issues that have caused him to slow-play his winter throwing program and put his chances of being ready for opening day in some doubt, as The California Post previously reported on last week. The left-hander said the shoulder issue that sidelined him for most of the first half last season continued to be an issue during the postseason, and that he spent much of this offseason in physical therapy. “It’s stronger (now),” Snell said. “(From) the day that I went into PT to the day I left, it’s night and day in strength and how it feels. Throwing, it feels good. I’m just going to ramp up slower. That’s all I’m doing.”

–– Roki Sasaki is the Dodgers’ only Japanese player not participating in this spring’s World Baseball Classic, and revealed Saturday that it was ultimately the Dodgers’ decision. “You always feel that you want to play on a special stage, and I wanted to do that again this time,” Sasaki said in Japanese. “But I talked to the team, and it’s the team’s decision, so I’m going to focus on getting ready for the season.” Sasaki was the only Japanese player the Dodgers could directly prevent from playing in the WBC, since he spent so much time on the 60-day injured list last season with a shoulder injury.

–– Freddie Freeman is also not participating in the WBC for Team Canada, but said it was because of a personal situation, not any health-related issues: “I wasn’t going to be able to go out there and play and be in Puerto Rico (for Canada’s group stage games), and be that far from my family. I needed to be close to California. That’s all I’ll say. But it’s personal.”

–– Coming off a career-worst season offensively in 2025, Mookie Betts said he focused on “re-wiring my body” in his offseason work this winter. “It’s more just re-wiring my mechanics, my brain, the motor patterns,” he said. Last spring, Betts felt as good as he ever had in camp. A mid-March stomach virus, however, sapped him of his strength and got his swing “out of whack,” resulting in .258 batting average and .732 OPS.

“It was kinda like a snowball effect,” he added. “Now I’ve gotten to put the training wheels on, take my time, and really stack positive days over and over. Now we’re in a really good spot.”

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–– A couple players showed up at Fanfest with noticeably different physiques. Starting pitcher River Ryan, a former top prospect who missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, said he added roughly 30 pounds of muscle during his rehab process, bulking up from 195 to 225. “I can throw a lot harder, a lot easier,” he joked. Reliever Brusdar Graterol, on the other hand, slimmed down about 15 pounds this winter after missing all of last year recovering from shoulder surgery. Both are expected to be ready for opening day.

–– Dave Roberts hasn’t decided exactly how the Dodgers’ batting order will look in the wake of Kyle Tucker’s signing, but he did drop some hints, saying Ohtani will still lead off, Betts will likely hit third, and Will Smith will hit fifth. That presumably leaves Kyle Tucker and Freeman for the Nos. 2 and 4 spots, in some order.

–– The Dodgers have ample pitching depth entering spring training, leaving a couple players with yet-to-be-determined roles. Both Justin Wrobleski and Kyle Hurt said they were unsure if they’d be used as starters or relievers this year, and were planning to build up to multiple innings in camp. Ben Casparius said he is “loosely” viewing himself as a reliever, but will also be ready to build up to longer outings if needed.