Sports
Dodgers face 'sense of urgency and competition' with roster for the rest of the season
The “calvary,” as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts put it this weekend, is coming.
Which means not everyone in the team’s current stable is likely to keep their spot.
In recent weeks, much of the external attention on the Dodgers has revolved around their shrinking cushion in the National League West standings, where a lead once as large as nine games has been trimmed down to 4½ by the San Diego Padres (and five by the Arizona Diamondbacks) entering Monday’s games.
Inside the clubhouse, however, urgency is emanating from a different source — with a wave of trade deadline arrivals and soon-to-return members of the injured list creating pressure through a roster math problem.
The Dodgers are, essentially, facing a sort of baseball Darwinism the rest of the season — with a bloated roster likely to be trimmed down the stretch, and a number of players uncertain to make the final cut.
“There should be a sense of urgency and competition,” Roberts said Sunday, adding: “We’ve got more guys coming than we have spots.”
Most position groups figure to apply.
For example, the Dodgers have three left-handed-hitting outfielders — Jason Heyward, James Outman and the newly acquired Kevin Kiermaier — on a team that, at full strength, will only need two at most (and maybe just one if Mookie Betts or Tommy Edman see significant outfield time once they return from the injured list).
The club has six utility players — Edman, Kiké Hernández, Amed Rosario and Cavan Biggio on the active roster; Chris Taylor and Miguel Rojas on the injured list — for maybe only three or four ultimate spots.
Same story in the bullpen, where the Dodgers currently have eight arms that have all pitched leverage innings this year, but also three rehabbing relievers nearing returns (Brusdar Graterol and Michael Grove could be back as soon as this week’s homestand; Ryan Brasier isn’t far behind them), plus an unsettled closer’s role.
Even the rotation remains an ever-changing battle; both for depth spots among rookie pitchers (River Ryan, Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleski have all cycled through this year), and coveted potential postseason starts (especially if Yoshinobu Yamamoto returns from his shoulder injury in September, as Roberts said this weekend he expects).
“It should be a meritocracy,” Roberts said. “At some point, the rubber meets the road, and we’ve got to make some tough decisions.”
For some players, improvement might come naturally.
A month ago, Gavin Lux looked destined for a diminished late-season role. Some rival executives wondered if he could wind up on the trade block.
Instead, Lux has turned into one of the team’s best hitters over the last four weeks, batting .386 in his last 19 games (with nine extra-base hits and 15 RBIs) while bumping up to the No. 3 spot in a shorthanded batting order.
“I think you feel that pressure a little bit, but I wasn’t going out there thinking about it every day,” Lux said, pushing back on the idea his play improved as a result of roster pressure.
Others might benefit from more internal competition.
When discussing this dynamic Sunday, Roberts pointed specifically to Hernández, who might finally be turning a corner after a dismal first-half performance.
“He’s playing his best baseball that he’s played in a while, on both sides of the ball,” Roberts said of Hernández, who is batting .300 since the All-Star break with five doubles and eight RBIs. “No. 1, he’s playing good baseball. But I also feel that he’s smart enough to realize that there’s other guys that are coming. And how do you keep getting opportunities? You perform.”
Following his two-double performance Sunday, Hernández insisted he wasn’t overly worried about his place on the roster.
“It is what it is,” he said. “I’m not really thinking about that. That’s out of my control.”
At the same time, however, Hernández acknowledged the pressure he feels to perform — both as it relates to his personal goals, and also the overall outlook of the club.
“This game is about producing, or you’re gonna be out of the game,” he said. “Just trying to do my part. We’ve been struggling as a team, and I believe that if I’m anywhere close to the hitter that I’m capable of being, we’d be in better shape and a better spot.”
Indeed, this might be the best path forward for the Dodgers to rectify their top-heavy roster problems.
Instead of adding another everyday bat to the lineup at the trade deadline — the team didn’t meet asking prices for potential targets, including Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays and Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox — the club loaded up on depth and versatility.
As a result, they now have 18 position players on their 40-man roster with extensive MLB experience, for only 13 available roster spots once they reach the playoffs.
Those additions were necessary in the short term, putting Band-Aids on many of the Dodgers’ injury-induced shortcomings.
“It’s trying to weather or withstand a regular season,” Roberts said. “So you have to kind of backfill.”
But once everyone gets back, there will be important personnel choices for the Dodgers to make leading up to October.
Their hope is that, between now and then, the cream of their depth chart will rise to the top.
“That’s the way it should be,” Roberts said. “That’s a good thing for the organization.”
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The 2026 NBA Draft finally saw the top college prospects get chosen along with some friendly fire among ESPN and basketball analysts on Tuesday night.
Jay Williams, Richard Jefferson and Kenny Smith were among those covering the draft and offering their analysis during the event. One exchange among the three former NBA players went awry and led to an awkward moment.
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Jay Williams of the Chicago Bulls and Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs share a laugh during the 2003 got milk? Rookie Challenge Game at Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on Feb. 8, 2003. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE)
ESPN recalled the moments each former player was drafted. Smith went No. 6 overall in 1987 to the Sacramento Kings, Richard Jefferson was selected at No. 13 by the Houston Rockets before being traded to the New Jersey Nets in 2001 and Williams was chosen No. 2 overall by the Chicago Bulls in 2001. Williams’ career was cut short due to a motorcycle crash.
ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi asked why Williams received a big ovation. Williams explained that most people who had gone to Duke were from the New York or New Jersey area.
“They also didn’t see the future coming, so they were cheering,” Jefferson said.
Williams responded, “Wow.”
TNT basketball analyst Kenny Smith appears on air before the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the North Carolina State Wolfpack at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on April 6, 2024. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Smith admitted that Williams was an “unbelievable talent” but “his career trajectory would’ve been a lot different if he didn’t like motorcycles.”
Williams tried to brush it off, saying all of what Smith was saying was “on record” and that he “wrote a book about it.”
“I guess everybody that goes to Duke isn’t that smart,” Jefferson quipped. “What? He wrote a book about it. I’m agreeing with him.”
The awkwardness filled the air after that as the Toronto Raptors were getting ready to make a selection.
Williams’ incident occurred in June 2003. He suffered a fractured pelvis, three torn ligaments in his knee and he severed a nerve in his leg. Williams violated the terms of his contract by riding the motorcycle in the first place.
Referee Richard Jefferson watches the game between the New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers during the 2022 Las Vegas Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev., on July 11, 2022. (Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
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He tried to make his way back into the NBA through the G League but never got there. He played 75 games for the Bulls in his rookie season and averaged 9.5 points per game.
Major League Baseball says it has no concerns about Dodgers and Rams head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache working with players.
ElAttrache was questioned by MLB on June 12 following a detailed report by the New York Times that the renowned surgeon and sports medicine expert supported the therapeutic use of performance-enhancing drugs by UFC star Conor McGregor.
“MLB took our responsibility to conduct due diligence in this matter seriously. We interviewed Dr. Neal ElAttrache last week, covering multiple topics, and he answered our questions thoroughly,” MLB said in a statement obtained by The Times Tuesday night.
“Based on our interview, the review of relevant records, Dr. ElAttrache’s long history of support for and cooperation with the Joint Drug Program and the fact that no Therapeutic Use Exemption requests of this nature have been submitted by Dr. ElAttrache or anyone else, we do not have any concerns regarding Dr. ElAttrache’s treatment of MLB players, or his adherence to the Joint Drug Programs and related rules.
“We consider this matter closed.”
ElAttrache performed surgery on McGregor in July 2021, inserting a rod, plates and screws into his left leg after the fighter broke his tibia and fibula during a mixed martial arts bout against Dustin Poirier in Las Vegas.
McGregor’s recovery was lengthy and arduous. ElAttrache told the New York Times that while he did not prescribe steroids for McGregor, he referred him to a specialist who did. Furthermore, ElAttrache wrote a letter supporting McGregor’s request for a therapeutic use exemption from UFC drug policies.
“I felt it would be appropriate to consult other physicians with expertise in bone healing/bone metabolism,” ElAttrache told the New York Times via text. “I recommended the consultations but not the course of treatment.”
ElAttrache said he told McGregor to check with UFC drug testers about prescriptions the consultant gave him. “I purposely wasn’t involved with his evaluation by the consultant nor with prescribing medication,” ElAttrache said.
The exemption request was denied by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the drug testing organization the UFC used at the time, triggering a split between the two organizations. McGregor withdrew from the UFC anti-doping program shortly thereafter and no longer was required to undergo testing for banned substances.
The report prompted MLB to talk with ElAttrache about his approach to treating players.
ElAttrache, operating primarily out of the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, has performed elbow or shoulder surgeries on prominent Dodgers past and present, including Shohei Ohtani, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Walker Buehler as well as former Rams stars Cooper Kupp and Cam Akers.
Among the hundreds of surgeries performed over three decades by ElAttrache, his patients include the four 2024 MLB most valuable player and Cy Young Award winners — Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal. ElAttrache’s patients include 18 of 29 players who won the MVP or Cy Young awards over the past 10 years.
“I have spoken with MLB and I am very comfortable with the process that the league and I will complete to assure the public that I have followed every rule and regulation in my medical treatment of athletes without exception,” ElAttrache said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times earlier this month. “My record is completely clean, including in this case.”
Times staff writers Steve Henson, Bill Shaikin, Sam Farmer and Gary Klein contributed to this report.
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As expected, the Washington Wizards have begun the 2026 NBA Draft by selecting BYU’s AJ Dybantsa with the first overall pick.
In a draft class loaded with “cant-miss prospects,” Dybantsa stood out above the rest, as the 6-foot-9, 217-pound forward put on a show with the Cougars in his one and only collegiate season.
Dybantsa averaged 25.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 51% from the field for BYU. He became the fifth Division-1 player in the last 40 seasons to average at least 25 points while shooting 50% from the field in a single season.
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