LAS VEGAS — The ankle injury that limited Tommy Edman throughout the season was apparently enough to lead to the operating table.
The Dodgers utility player will undergo ankle surgery in the next week, General Manager Brandon Gomes revealed on Tuesday at the GM Meetings.
Gomes didn’t provide any details on the nature of the surgery, and he said only that “the goal” is to have him ready for spring training.
“We’re gonna be smart,” Gomes said. “Obviously, he hasn’t had it yet. So we’ll look into that as we get into the rehab process. And like we do with everything, let’s keep the big picture in mind, or the goal of playing through October.”
Edman, 30, hit .225 with a .655 OPS in 97 games in 2025, the first year of a five-year, $74 million contract extension with the Dodgers.
The 2024 National League Championship Series MVP was on the injured list because of the ankle twice during the season, in April and August. When he returned for the postseason, the Dodgers were reluctant to use him in center field because of his decreased mobility.
“This was clearly bothering him for a while,” Gomes said. “He’s so tough and went out there and kept just posting for us and obviously played great for us. I think it’ll be good to kind of get it addressed and then that way he can kind of have this behind him and, hopefully, it won’t be an issue next year.”
CLOSER SEARCH?
Gomes said the Dodgers aren’t necessarily looking for an established closer this winter, even though they went through the playoffs so desperate for reliable late-inning work that they resorted to using starting pitchers in those roles.
“We have a ton of options,” Gomes said. “Obviously, as we saw as the season played out, different guys emerge. We have a lot of guys that we trust at the back end. So what that all looks like I think will kind of come out of who’s available and what makes sense for us.”
The top free agent closers available are Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez, Devin Williams and Pete Fairbanks.
Last winter the Dodgers invested $72 million in a four-year deal with left-hander Tanner Scott. He ended up with a 4.74 ERA and 10 blown saves.
Gomes said Scott would get another chance at closing.
“He certainly is one of the guys in that group,” Gomes said. “We’ve seen it in the past. There is reliever volatility. Unfortunately, we’ve seen this happen in the past with other great relievers. So we fully believe Tanner’s gonna come back and have a great year for us next year and be right there in the mix to pitch at the back end of the games.”
Gomes reiterated that Roki Sasaki, one of the starters who emerged as a relief weapon, is “absolutely” going back to the rotation next season.
ROTATION PLAN?
The Dodgers haven’t decided how they will use two-way star Shohei Ohtani in the rotation next season, after bringing him along slowly in his rehab from elbow surgery.
“I think that’s a conversation we’ll have with him as it gets deeper into the offseason, but it’ll probably look more like a normal schedule than last year, but obviously that can be fluid,” Gomes said. “And everything we’ll do is with the big picture mindset.”
Gomes said he’s also not certain if the Dodgers will stick with a six-man rotation.
“It’s certainly on the table, but it depends how things shake out,” Gomes said.
Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Sasaki all pitched with more than the traditional four days of rest in Japan. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow have also had injury issues, so the Dodgers feel they can benefit from extra rest.
NOTES
Gomes said the Dodgers have not yet had any players ask about their participation in the World Baseball Classic, which will be held next March. When Ohtani was with the Angels in 2023, he pitched and hit during the WBC. The Dodgers have been more conservative with Ohtani’s use than the Angels were in his last three years in Anaheim. …
Pitchers River Ryan and Gavin Stone, who are both returning from surgery, are expected to be ready for spring training and a “normal” buildup, Gomes said. “We expect them to have a pretty normal year, whatever a normal year is coming off surgery.” …
Earlier this month, the Dodgers added 27-year-old minor league outfielder Ryan Ward to the 40-man roster, an acknowledgement of his breakthrough in his sixth minor league season. Ward, a left-handed hitter, hit .290 with 36 homers and a .937 OPS at Triple-A. Gomes said Ward cutting his strikeout rate was an important improvement to earn him the spot.