Tommy

Edman

Edman already has three homers on the season with his solo shot in the Dodgers’ fifth-straight win to open 2025. The 29-year-old looked fantastic to end the 2024 campaign for Los Angeles, and he’s obviously off to a nice start to this campaign.

In the original lineup, Edman was slated to hit second after Shohei Ohtani. Instead, it’ll be Teoscar Hernandez hitting second between Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. Carry on.

Betts’ reward for his two-homer, four-RBI night against the Tigers is a day off. The 32-year-old superstar will get a break and Miguel Rojas will handle shortstop duties while hitting ninth with Tommy Edman moves up to the second spot in the lineup.

It’s the third consecutive start for the 36-year-old infielder, who filled in for Mookie Betts at shortstop during the two games against the Cubs in Tokyo. Tommy Edman, who manned second base for both games in Tokyo, is starting in center field for the Dodgers on Thursday evening.

Congrats to Edman on the first homer of any player in the 2025 season. It was a solo shot off Justin Steele in the third inning. Edman looked solid to end the 2025 campaign, and his versatility and well-rounded skill set makes him a potential steal near the end of mixed-league drafts.

Kim will not travel with the club to Japan for next week’s season-opening Tokyo Series against the Cubs. There were rumblings earlier this spring that the 26-year-old might require some time in the minors to continue working on his swing mechanics. The decision leaves Tommy Edman as Los Angeles’ primary second baseman to open the regular season with veterans Miguel Rojas, Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernandez in bench roles. It doesn’t come as a surprise to see Miller heading to Triple-A after he was hit in the face by a line drive earlier this spring and will need some extra time to ramp-up. Rushing is the highest profile prospect included in the Dodgers’ latest batch of cuts. He figures to reach the big leagues at some point this season and will make an impact in deeper mixed leagues.

Edman drew the start at second base in this one and took Guardians prospect Doug Nikhazy deep in the opening frame for his third round-tripper of the season. The versatile 29-year-old also drew a bases-loaded walk later in the frame. Adding second-base eligibility would help boost Edman’s fantasy appeal since it’s one of the more shallow position groups. He’s a borderline top-200 pick in most fantasy drafts this spring.

The interesting wrinkle here is that Edman, who is expected to serve as Los Angeles’ primary centerfielder this season, started the contest at second base just a few hours after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters it wasn’t a lock that Hyeseong Kim will open the year in the majors. Los Angeles is overflowing with outfielders, including Edman and Andy Pages in addition to veterans Teoscar Hernández and Michael Conforto. The Dodgers seem to be keeping their options open, using Edman’s defensive versatility to unlock various lineup combinations.

Gomes, who added that recently-extended Tommy Edman will play center field next year, told reporters last month that plan was for Betts to move back to the infield next season and we now have confirmation that he’ll be Los Angeles’ starting shortstop heading into the 2025 campaign. It’s a significant development for fantasy purposes as it means there’s a chance he won’t pick up second-base eligibility. The 32-year-old fantasy superstar figures to continue bouncing around the diamond, if needed, in a multi-position role, but it appears he’ll have a more permanent defensive home to open next year.

As previously reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN, the deal will run from 2025-2029 and include a club option for a sixth season. Edman will also receive a $17 million signing bonus and some of the money in the contract will be deferred. The versatile 29-year-old was a key cog in the Dodgers’ championship run in 2024 and now he’ll be a fixture for the foreseeable future. Expect that he’ll function in a super utility role once again in 2025, where his blend of power and speed make him an intriguing option at his current average draft position around pick-200 in early fantasy drafts.