Dodger Blue

Ben Rortvedt has had an eventful tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers despite only playing in 34 career games for the organization over parts of two seasons. The 28-year-old journeyman has been designated for assignment and claimed by the Dodgers multiple times this season alone. He was most recently DFA’d by L.A. on Tuesday, with Will Smith and Dalton Rushing activated from the injured list. Rortvedt cleared waivers on Thursday and was outrighted to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets.

The Los Angeles Dodgers don’t yet have their starting rotation fully healthy as Shohei Ohtani’s return to pitching was delayed, but the group nevertheless is at its strongest point so far this season. That’s due in large part to Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow both coming off the injured list last month, and the Dodgers’ trade for Tarik Skubal. “Yeah, definitely excited about it,” Snell recently said about the Dodgers’ rotation.

The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Eric Lauer on the 15-day injured list one day after his disastrous start against the St. Louis Cardinals. He labored to the tune of 63 pitches over just three innings, allowing eight hits and seven earned runs in the process. The official diagnosis for Lauer is left elbow inflammation. “It was an elbow, arm kind of thing, that he just didn’t feel good. And through the start, it was kind of showing itself a little bit,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained.

The Los Angeles Dodgers reached arguably the lowest point of their season after stranding 13 baserunners in their extra-inning loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday. The team blew multiple three-run leads and went just 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position, which has been a weakness over the past two months. That was followed by a similar effort on Thursday, but the Dodgers avoided being swept thanks to Teoscar Hernández’s walk-off, two-run double.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have turned to Tommy Edman as their primary center fielder in place of Andy Pages, who has been on 10-day injured list since Aug. 22 with a left hand fracture. The 25-year-old’s recovery has progressed well and he will begin swinging a bat in the next couple days. “I think he starts swinging pretty soon,” Dodgers hitting coach Aaron Bates said in an interview with David Vassegh on AM 570 L.A. Sports.

After avoiding a sweep on Thursday night with a walk-off win, the Los Angeles Dodgers tried to continue building on their momentum with the opener of a three-game series on Friday night against the Washington Nationals. The Dodgers swept the Nationals earlier this season at Nationals Park (April 3-5), outscoring them 31-17 during that series. Seven different Dodgers homered in the three-game set, while the team hit nine total home runs.

Shohei Ohtani is not in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for the second consecutive day as they begin a series against the Washington Nationals, as he continues to manage his injury issues. Ohtani has been dealing with lingering left knee soreness and discomfort while trying to navigate his return to the mound. He has also dealt with an issue in his right biceps.

This day in Los Angeles Dodgers history saw the franchise become the first MLB team to draw more than 2 million in home and road attendance during the same season. The Dodgers accomplished the feat Sept. 4, 1966, during an 8-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds. The game was played in front of 18,670 fans at Crosley Field. John Kennedy went 3-for-5 with an RBI in the Dodgers’ win, while Jim Gilliam, Ron Failry and Jim Lefebvre had two hits each.

The 2026 Los Angeles Dodgers Spring Training schedule begins on Friday, Feb. 19, when they square off against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch. The Dodgers are the designated home team in the game against their co-tenants. All 30 teams are scheduled to start 2027 Spring Training on the same date. The Dodgers begin their Spring Training road slate on Sunday, Feb. 21, in Peoria, AZ, against the Seattle Mariners.

The Los Angeles Dodgers made the surprising decision to activate Dalton Rushing from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with rosters expanding to 28 players. The Dodgers also reinstated Will Smith after his extensive battle with neck inflammation, making Ben Rortvedt a casualty of the roster crunch. For the time being, Rushing will not see the field outside of pinch-hit opportunities.