SAN DIEGO — Tommy Edman is running out of boxes to check.
“Took BP on the field. Taking ground balls. I ran the curves (of the infield) today. I will take some fly balls in the outfield today,” the veteran utilityman said on Tuesday. “If it goes well today, I’ll run the bases tomorrow. I’ve been getting a ton of at-bats on Trajekt. Hopefully I’ll be getting some live BP this weekend.”
Edman ran the bases during the pre-game workout on Wednesday. According to Manager Dave Roberts, Edman will head to Arizona this weekend to face live pitching in the final step before starting a minor-league rehabilitation assignment next week.
The early projection was that Edman would return from offseason ankle surgery in late May. Like Kiké Hernandez (who had elbow surgery following the World Series), Edman was placed on the 60-day injured list to start the season. Hernandez played in his 10th game on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday night and has targeted next week to return (when he is eligible to come off the IL).
Edman, meanwhile, has been a little slower to reach the final stages of his recovery and is now expected back some time in June.
“The nature of recovering from surgery is there is going to be soreness throughout the process,” Edman said. “It’s more just recovery from things. There haven’t been any things that were big red flags. It’s more, I’ll do something new and it’ll be sore for a day or two more than expected so I’ll have to take it easy for a day. That throws the schedule off for a day or two. You get five of those days, it adds up to an extra week added on. That’s kind of what I’ve been dealing with.”
What he hasn’t been dealing with is any of the chronic issues with his ankle that plagued him the past two years.
“That’s the good thing. Everything’s been great with the ligament that was repaired. Everything’s perfect there,” he said. “The whole time it’s just been dealing with swelling. And that’s just surgery. Pure strength is 100 percent back. The reactiveness is the part that comes back last and that’s been much better the last couple weeks – and that’s basically defense, sprinting, quick-twitch stuff.”
MOVING AROUND
Will Smith batted fifth or higher in each of his first 35 starts this season, but Roberts dropped the catcher to seventh for Wednesday’s game, moving Andy Pages up to fifth.
“He hasn’t been swinging the bat well for awhile now,” Roberts said of the move. “He’s always putting forth his best effort, as far as the intent, which I really appreciate. I think for me, it’s just kind of sliding him down a little, a couple spots. It’s three in a row tonight (that he has played). Let him really lock in on the catching part of it with Shohei (Ohtani). And then, let the game come to him. So I think for me, it was just take a little bit of the focus off the offense.”
Smith was 10 for his past 50 (.200) before Wednesday’s game, dropping his season numbers down to a .246 batting average and .674 OPS.
“He’s not hitting the fastball,” Roberts said. “I think for me, there’s a lot of, he’s missing the fastball. I think there’s slider spin that’s in zone that he’s just missing. So I think when you’re not squaring up the fastball and you’re missing spin, that’s a tough combo.
“Again, the intent, the grind of at-bats, is certainly there. But he’s just not ending at-bats when he typically does.”
The Dodgers have given backup catcher Dalton Rushing playing time early in the season when he got off to a hot start. But Rushing went into Wednesday hitless in his past 15 at-bats with seven strikeouts.
SAVE ONE
Starter Emmet Sheehan went just four innings in Tuesday’s game and Roberts went with his high-leverage relievers (Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia and Tanner Scott) to keep the game tied into the ninth inning. When the Dodgers scored against Padres closer Mason Miller, it was Will Klein who got the ball for the ninth inning and recorded his first career save.
After his heroics in last year’s World Series, Klein has gradually become a more important piece of the bullpen this year. Through Tuesday, he had a 2.33 ERA in 14 appearances. But more importantly, he had walked just six in 19⅓ innings while striking out 20. In brief major-league cameos in 2024 and 2025 with the A’s, Kansas City Royals and Dodgers, Klein walked 16 in 22⅔ innings. In the minors, he averaged 6.9 walks per nine innings and an inconsistent ability to throw strikes held him back.
Whether it’s the confidence gained from his World Series heroics or refinements in his delivery, the difference in Klein so far this season has been obvious.
“Throwing more strikes. Attacking guys. Not getting behind, not giving up free passes. That’s the biggest thing, just trusting my stuff in the zone,” Klein acknowledged.
“Just staying in-zone and making them beat me.”
UP NEXT
The Dodgers are off Thursday.
Dodgers (LHP Justin Wrobleski, 6-1, 2.49 ERA) at Brewers (RHP Logan Henderson, 1-1, 3.50 ERA), Friday, 4:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM