{"id":552739,"date":"2026-02-03T19:02:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T19:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/552739\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T19:02:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T19:02:23","slug":"los-angeles-dodgers-2026-opening-day-roster-projection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/552739\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Dodgers 2026 opening day roster projection"},"content":{"rendered":"

Next week, the Dodgers will report to spring training to begin their pursuit of a third consecutive World Series championship.<\/p>\n

And coming out of Saturday\u2019s annual Fanfest event, there is more clarity on where the team stands at the dawn of a new year.<\/p>\n

As the 2026 season approaches, here is an early look at the state of the club\u2019s roster and how the final 26-man group might look come opening day.<\/p>\n

Los Angels Dodgers manager Dave Roberts celebrates during a parade to celebrate the baseball team\u2019s World Series win on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong) AP<\/p>\n

Starting rotation<\/p>\n

Opening day locks: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell*<\/p>\n

Battling for a spot: River Ryan, Gavin Stone, Kyle Hurt, Landon Knack<\/p>\n

(*could start season on injured list)<\/p>\n

The Dodgers are going to be careful with how they handle their starting pitchers this year. But for now, most appear to be on track for opening day.<\/p>\n

Despite throwing more than 200 innings between the regular season and playoffs a year ago, Yamamoto is already gearing up for an early start to his season, set to play for Team Japan in next month\u2019s World Baseball Classic. Given his importance to the team\u2019s success last year, he could have the inside track to being the opening day starter, assuming he comes through the WBC feeling good.<\/p>\n

Beyond him, several other Dodgers pitchers appear to have handled the quick turnaround this offseason presented. Glasnow (who once again spent significant time on the injured list last year) and Sheehan (who returned midway through last year after recovering from Tommy John surgery) said they\u2019ve felt good during their winter throwing programs. Sasaki (who will not play in the WBC) and Ohtani (who will only hit in the event) also said they are focusing on their ramp-ups for the regular season.<\/p>\n

The biggest question at the moment is Snell,\u00a0who slow-played his winter work<\/a>\u00a0because of lingering shoulder problems. While he said the plan is to be ready for opening day, much will depend on how he feels as he goes through the spring. If he isn\u2019t ready for the start of the year, it could create an opening for a younger arm like Ryan, Stone or someone else \u2013\u2013 assuming the Dodgers go with a six-man rotation.<\/p>\n

FILE \u2013 Los Angeles Dodgers\u2019 Will Smith, right, celebrates with teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) after the team defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of baseball\u2019s World Series, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Toronto. (Chris Young\/The Canadian Press via AP, File) AP<\/p>\n

Bullpen<\/p>\n

Opening day locks: Edwin D\u00edaz, Alex Vesia, Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol\u00a0<\/p>\n

Battling for a spot: Anthony Banda, Jack Dreyer, Ben Casparius, Justin Wrobleski, Will Klein, Edgardo Henriquez<\/p>\n

The Dodgers\u2019 relief corps will now be anchored by D\u00edaz, their new $69 million closer. They have left-handed options with Vesia and Scott. They are also expecting bounce-back seasons from Treinen (who had a career-worst 5.40 ERA last year) and Graterol (who missed all of 2025 recovering from shoulder surgery). Brock Stewart is likely to begin the year on the injured list, recovering from his own shoulder surgery late last season.<\/p>\n

Still, there\u2019s much to be decided during camp. Banda and Dreyer both present options for further lefty depth. Klein and Henriquez will be trying to cement permanent MLB jobs after contributing in the playoffs last year. And Casprius and Wrobleski can serve in multi-inning swingman roles, or be potential starting candidates if there is an opening in the rotation.<\/p>\n

Edwin D\u00edaz speaks during his introduction as a new member of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Ethan Swope) AP<\/p>\n

Infield<\/p>\n

Opening day locks: Will Smith (catcher), Freddie Freeman (first base), Tommy Edman* (second base), Mookie Betts (shortstop), Max Muncy (third base), Miguel Rojas (bench), Andy Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez (bench), Dalton Rushing (backup catcher)<\/p>\n

Battling for a spot: Hyeseong Kim, Alex Freeland<\/p>\n

If not for Edman\u2019s offseason ankle surgery, this group would largely be set. However, the possibility of him starting the season on the injured list could create opportunities for others.<\/p>\n

If Edman isn\u2019t ready for the start of the year, it\u2019s likely second base could be a platoon with Rojas and either Kim or Freeland \u2013\u2013 two young players who showed flashes of production last year, but will be battling to display more consistent offense this spring. Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez, an offseason signing who is likely a roster lock since he has no minor-league options left, could also factor in at second base, while occasionally spelling Muncy at third.<\/p>\n

TORONTO, ON \u2013 NOVEMBER 01: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates after tagging out Alejandro Kirk #30 of the Toronto Blue Jays at first to win Game Seven of the 2025 World Series presented by Capital One between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Saturday, November 1, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Daniel Shirey\/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
\n MLB Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Outfield<\/p>\n

Opening day locks: Kyle Tucker (right field), Teoscar Hern\u00e1ndez (left field), Andy Pages (center field), Alex Call (bench)<\/p>\n

Battling for a spot: Ryan Ward<\/p>\n

Tucker\u2019s $240 million signing eliminated most of the questions here. Now, the Dodgers have three clear outfield starters, plus Call as an option off the bench.<\/p>\n

Ward, a longtime minor-league standout who was finally placed on the 40-man roster this offseason, saw his chances of making the team plummet upon Tucker\u2019s arrival. However, his productive left-handed bat is still an intriguing tool, making him a potential alternative in the event of any unforeseen spring training injuries.<\/p>\n

Outfielder Kyle Tucker speaks during a news conference after joining the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes) AP<\/p>\n

Designated hitter<\/p>\n

Opening day locks: Ohtani<\/p>\n

No analysis needed here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Next week, the Dodgers will report to spring training to begin their pursuit of a third consecutive World…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":552740,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2290],"tags":[5,2178,1560,1087,815,29,57,4,1526,468,185,151],"class_list":{"0":"post-552739","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-baseball","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-dave-roberts","11":"tag-edwin-diaz","12":"tag-freddie-freeman","13":"tag-kyle-tucker","14":"tag-los-angeles-dodgers","15":"tag-mlb","16":"tag-mookie-betts","17":"tag-shohei-ohtani","18":"tag-sports","19":"tag-spring-training"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116008252168611167","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=552739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552739\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/552740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=552739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=552739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=552739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}