Dodgers Dugout: Here’s what you might have missed from spring training so far

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. It’s hard to believe the first real Dodgers game of the season is only 20 days away.

Spring training has been underway for several days now and it has been relatively uneventful, which is what happens when you have a team packed with All-Stars and very few open roster spots. Will Dustin May or Tony Gonsolin get the last rotation spot? Who gets the last position player spot? Will Freddie Freeman be ready on opening day?

All these questions are unanswerable right now.

What we will do today is note a few things that have happened. Consider it a cheat sheet.

—The Dodgers are trying not to relive the glories of last season and assume, as many of the “experts” have, that they will win again this year. “We can’t keep thinking about being champions again,” Mookie Betts said. “We haven’t even played Game 1. We have to take care of spring training and then when Game 1 comes, then Game 1 comes. But we can’t keep talking about the World Series.”

—With his return to the mound, don’t expect Shohei Ohtani to hit more than 50 homers and steal more than 50 bases again. He will probably get more games off this season (he played in 159 last season) and he is coming off surgery on the shoulder he injured during the World Series. “I do feel like there’s some discomfort that I have to still overcome, [but] it’s not really debilitating,” Ohtani said. “Just a limited range of motion. I’ve gone through it with the elbow before. With the shoulder, it’s a little bit more complicated. I do believe that’s the part that I have to be patient with.”

—Clayton Kershaw has officially re-signed with the team and says he wants to retire as a Dodger, which should end speculation he wants to play for Texas (closer to his home) one season. Kershaw signed a one-year, $7.5-million deal that could increase to $18 million thanks to multiple incentive clauses. When Kershaw first pitches for the Dodgers in 2025, it will be his 18th season with the team, tying him with Bill Russell and Zack Wheat for most seasons with the team. The top 10:

18 seasons
Clayton Kershaw
Bill Russell
Zack Wheat

16 seasons
Gil Hodges
Pee Wee Reese
Duke Snider
Don Sutton

15 seasons
Carl Furillo

14 seasons
Willie Davis
Don Drysdale
Steve Garvey
Steve Yeager

Kershaw will start the season on the IL. “I don’t think I put enough merit on it at times of what it means to be able to be in one organization for your entire career,” Kershaw said. “You look at people throughout all of sports who have been able to do that, and it is special. It is, and I don’t want to lose sight of that. Getting to be here for my whole career, however long that is, is definitely a goal.”

—Dustin May‘s 2024 season was derailed ... by a salad. As Jack Harris wrote: On the night of July 10, May went to dinner and ordered a salad. After one bite, he felt lettuce stuck in his throat. Trying to wash it down, he took a quick swig of water. Moments later he could tell something was wrong. In what May described as a “complete freak accident,” he unknowingly suffered a serious tear in his esophagus — one that required emergency surgery that night, dashed any hopes of him returning before the end of the season and left him with a new perspective on not only baseball but also the fragility of life.

And, before we joke about how this proves salad isn’t healthy for you, consider that May could have died: “It was definitely a life-altering event,” May said. “It was definitely very serious. It’s not a very common surgery. It was definitely an emergency. I probably wouldn’t have made it through the night if I didn’t have it.”

And that’s why when May returned to the mound on Sunday in his first competitive appearance since then, he covered his face with his cap, overcome with emotion while walking off the field after striking out a batter.

—Betts appears to be much better at shortstop so far than he was last season (and he wasn’t terrible then). “He’s kind of freed up,” said Chris Woodward, who worked with Betts last season as a special advisor before being hired as the first-base and infield coach this offseason. “He feels like he’s got a style that works well for him. So now it just comes down to maintaining those reps and getting more game reps.”

Former Gold Glove shortstop Troy Tulowitzki also worked with Betts during the offseason. “I couldn’t believe the strides that he made,” Tulowitzki said. “I say to do something, and it’s pretty much done in a day or two. And then once he went home, he would send me video back, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s it, man.’ Talk about a pretty easy guy to work with. He’s special.”

—Bobby Miller has a hard head. He was struck in the head by a ball traveling at 106 mph during one exhibition game. He walked off the field on his own and seemed none the worse the next day. You can watch video of it here. These line drives off a pitcher seem to be happening with more frequency and it’s only a matter of time before there is a serious incident. “That’s always been one of my biggest fears,” Miller said, “taking a line drive to the head. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It kind of knocked me down, but I was able to walk off all right. Hopefully, I’ll get back to action soon.”

—Some of you have written to ask about the Dodgers’ streaming this season. Bill Shaikin covered that topic, writing, “Spectrum, which operates the Dodgers’ SportsNet LA channel, last year provided streaming as a benefit to fans who either had a cable or satellite subscription to SportsNet LA or had a Spectrum package that included broadband and telephone service. The latter option expired at the end of last season, Spectrum spokesman Bret Picciolo said Thursday. He said Spectrum had “nothing to announce at this time” about any options for streaming SportsNet LA this season.”

—MLB is experimenting with an automated strike zone in a couple of spring training sites this season. The basics: Only pitchers, catchers and hitters can trigger a review on any pitch by tapping their head after a ball/strike call is made. Each team gets two challenges per game. If a challenge is successful, it doesn’t count against them and they will retain both challenges. Challenges must be made immediately without consulting with anyone in the dugout.

There are no plans to use it in the regular season; it is in the exploratory phase as of now. “I’m curious to see how it plays out,” Dave Roberts said. “Haven’t made a decision on if I’m a fan or not.”

—That cover the highlights of the spring so far.

Really?

—The Dodgers lost three exhibition games in a row last week, and I kid you not, I got several emails that were a variation of the following:

“The Dodgers can’t seem to win this spring. I hope this isn’t a preview of the season.”

Trust me when I say that the machine has yet to be invented that can measure how little the results of spring training games mean. Almost every roster spot is cinched. Pitchers are working on arm strength, or maybe working on a new secondary pitch, or a new throwing motion. Batters are tinkering with their swing. The game results are meaningless. Relax.

And, just to warn some of you, there will be times during the season when the Dodgers lose three games in a row. Where they have a game where they make errors and strike out with runners on base or give up big hits in key situations. That will be OK too. We have a long way to go until October, so try to enjoy the journey.

In case you missed it

After offseason changes, Tyler Glasnow has familiar goal with Dodgers: ‘To stay healthy’

After near-death experience, Dustin May thrilled to be pitching: ‘Like a new beginning’

Dodgers giving Korean rookie Hyeseong Kim every chance to succeed

‘Scary moment, but it’s all good’: Dodgers’ Bobby Miller on mend from liner to head

Tony Gonsolin shows encouraging signs in return to mound: ‘Overall, just good results’

Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki announces marriage; Bobby Miller feeling better after comebacker

Dodgers ‘don’t hate the idea’ of MLB’s automated ball/strike system

Dodgers rookie phenom Roki Sasaki pleased with first live session of spring training

The Dodgers have a record-setting payroll. Could their spending impact future CBA talks?

‘Two grades better already.’ Why Mookie Betts’ shortstop switch should be smoother now

‘Lucky to have him in my corner.’ How Blake Snell is helping Bobby Miller in Dodgers camp

And finally

From 2008, a profile of The Peanut Man, Roger Owens. Watch and listen here.