The Dodgers actually made first cuts a while ago, but it wasn’t really anything newsworthy. Really this is mostly about updates on the Spring Training battles and the prospects excelling, because there’s been a lot of cool highlights. Also, some could-be-worse injury news and their depth gambit finally working.
Shohei Ohtani doing Shohei Ohtani things.
SHOHEI OHTANI GRAND SLAM! #WORLDBASEBALLCLASSIC pic.twitter.com/z0BXjlYInF
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 6, 2026
SHOHEI OHTANI HOMER. TIE BALLGAME! #WORLDBASEBALLCLASSIC pic.twitter.com/Y2ihZbXokl
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 7, 2026
Hyeseong Kim also making noise in the WBC as he looks to stake his claim to a roster spot while abroad.
HYESEONG KIM NO-DOUBT HOMER
Team Korea ties it back up! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/T37HrxNbtu
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 7, 2026
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The Dodgers made their first cuts to the roster for the season, so let’s start there, as they recently shaved off 11 players: pitchers Patrick Copen, Luke Fox, Jerming Rosario, Adam Serwinowski, Nick Frasso, and Jose Rodriguez, catchers Nelson Quiroz and Chuckie Robinson, infielders Keston Hiura and Matt Gorski, and outfielder Chris Newell. No, this does not mean they can’t play in Spring Training games, it’s mainly just procedural.
All 11 were non-roster invitees and none were expected to make the team. That leaves the Dodgers with 35 pitchers and 30 position players in big-league camp for a total of 65, so only 39 cuts to go.
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As far as the games went, Roki Sasaki had another disaster start in which he began the game by going walk, single, walk, and homer before Dave Roberts had to come and get him. Roki was consistently missing arm-side with everything and it was a bit hard to watch, though he did come back out for another inning to get a 1-2-3 frame with two strikeouts.
That’s about as rough a start as you could have. 3 walks, 2 hits, including a grand slam. It’s Spring Training, totally understood, but there is NO way you can watch Roki and not have at least some concern.
So, he struggled as a starter last year, even with AAA OKC. So, do the… pic.twitter.com/RfhgQErWsQ
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) March 3, 2026
I’ve said it would take a lot for Roki to lose his rotation spot in Spring Training, but having to field questions about the potential of just that already is less than ideal.
Dave Roberts on the odds Roki Sasaki shifts out of the big league rotation picture: “I think it can change, but I don’t think it’s going to change before we break (camp). I think that, keep building him up. We see him as a starter and giving him every opportunity for success.”
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) March 3, 2026
Speaking of rotation competition, River Ryan continued to ramp up and looked promising doing so, striking out three over two scoreless innings.
River Ryan with a nasty slider for the first out in the bottom of the fifth. #Dodgers #DodgersST pic.twitter.com/hb2pBs5U6B
— Dodgers_After_Duty (@msalas24) March 3, 2026
The command is still making its way back to him, but the stuff is all there right now. While Justin Wrobleski is probably ahead of him at the moment, with Gavin Stone going down (more on that later) and Roki struggling, it’s possible River could sneak into the rotation.
There were also a bunch of other notable performances, some with roster competition implications.
Santiago Espinal is simply making this team. Dude has a hilarious 1.761 OPS this Spring.
Santiago hits his second homer of the game for the lead! #DodgersST pic.twitter.com/UTaXqovud3
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 5, 2026
Dave Roberts suggested it’s hard to see a scenario where Santiago Espinal doesn’t open the season in the majors with the Dodgers. Said he has fit in “seamlessly” with the group.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) March 5, 2026
Will Klein and Kyle Hurt are pitching well enough to make the team, and so is Antoine Kelly, even though his path is certainly more of a long shot. All are missing a ton of bats while staying in the zone.
Back-to-back strikeouts and a 1-2-3 inning for World Series hero Will Klein! pic.twitter.com/Rw9Ji9ni6J
— Hyeseong Kim Muse 김혜성 (@HyeseongKimMuse) March 3, 2026
Kyle Hurt is healthy, and he’s ready to make an impact. He’s looked GREAT so far in Spring Training! Today he threw another scoreless inning & his fastball sat 96.6, touched 97.3 & his change up looked good too. #dodgers #dodgersprospects pic.twitter.com/T6HUjHp6dd
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) March 5, 2026
Antoine Kelly strikes out Ryan Cesarini to close out a 1-2-3 inning for the Dodgers!
This is Kelly’s fourth time pitching in Spring Training and he has yet to give up a single hit. pic.twitter.com/1vAVTwH92G
— Hyeseong Kim Muse 김혜성 (@HyeseongKimMuse) March 3, 2026
One of the more worrying performances last year given his pedigree was from Dalton Rushing, but it does feel like he’s more comfortable this year. ST stats don’t necessarily show it due to one of his biggest games being in a WBC scrimmage (that was probably more serious than ST games).
Dalton with his second homer of #DodgersST! pic.twitter.com/XqX4wbRmTZ
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 2, 2026
Dalton Rushing gives the Dodgers the lead with an RBI double!
Dodgers 4, Mexico 3 pic.twitter.com/52EoIRLE6O
— Hyeseong Kim Muse 김혜성 (@HyeseongKimMuse) March 4, 2026
James Tibbs III (1.086 OPS) and Zach Ehrhard (.975 OPS) are a pair of outfield prospects that have continued to impress over the past week as well.
James for the lead! #DodgersST pic.twitter.com/cZAavSeM2z
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 2, 2026
Beautiful 2-run triple by Zach Ehrhard ✍️ pic.twitter.com/ZsK1vpJUoS
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) March 3, 2026
One of the more surprising guys hammering the ball so far is Noah Miller, who has made his name to this point by being a defensive-first shortstop. He finished 2025 at AAA and is still just 23, and he’s 9-for-23, posting a 1.107 OPS with a 2/5 K/BB ratio.
Noah Miller 💣
🚀 Exit Velocity: 105.4 mph📐 Launch Angle: 32°📏 Projected Distance: 432 ft pic.twitter.com/VkvdDG4Gxg
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) March 5, 2026
On the other end of the spectrum, one who is notably not impressing is Ryan Ward, who now has a .291 OPS in 27 at-bats.
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In you-can-never-have-enough-pitching news, Gavin Stone suffered a setback in his surgically repaired right shoulder, though imaging has showed he avoided the worst-case scenario.
Gavin Stone has had a “setback” with his shoulder and is “paused” from throwing right now, Dave Roberts said
Roberts said Stone’s surgically-repaired shoulder was bothering him again after last week’s start and a subsequent bullpen
Probably scuttles his chances for opening day
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) March 2, 2026
Dave Roberts said Gavin Stone got a scan on his right shoulder, which showed inflammation but not structural damage. “We dodged a bullet,” Roberts said. Stone will be no-throw for a couple weeks.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) March 3, 2026
Speaking of shoulder injuries, Bobby Miller has only just started throwing on flat ground.
Bobby Miller just threw off a mound for the first time this spring. Just about 10 throws, not off the rubber, to a standing catcher. Not a full bullpen by any means. Has been dealing with shoulder trouble — Dodgers viewing him as a reliever.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) March 3, 2026
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In other transaction news, an update on the status of Jack Suwinski: he was outrighted to the minors. That means he’s off the 40-man, so the Dodgers currently have 39 there.
MLB dot com transaction log says the Dodgers sent outfielder Jack Suwinski outright to the minors, and off the 40-man roster, 9 days after they claimed him off waivers
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen.bsky.social) March 2, 2026 at 1:17 PM
It also means the gambit that failed twice with Ben Rortvedt and once with Andy Ibanez has now worked for once, and the Dodgers finally get their minor-league depth with major-league experience.
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Let’s close this one with Dodgers strength coach Travis Smith doing his usual thing, but for Team USA now.
Get you a strength coach like Team USA. Travis Smith from the Dodgers organization is fired up for this group. #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/axE28MmfEQ
— Ellie (@Ellie_Mai_) March 4, 2026
