The Dodgers used Thursday’s off day to catch their breath before closing out the first half against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the club’s 61-33 record still stands as the best in MLB.
One of the bigger roster notes came with a familiar name leaving the organization. Los Angeles officially released a right-handed pitcher from Triple-A after six years in the system. The former 2021 draft pick has not pitched this season because of injury, and he is now a free agent.
There was also discouraging news on Will Smith. The All-Star catcher remains stuck in his recovery more than a month after taking a neck injury, and manager Dave Roberts did not offer much reason for optimism about a quick return.
"I think he's swinging [a bat] but again, it's not a ramp up situation," Roberts said. "It's just kind of trying to stay active."
On the flip side, Blake Snell brought a much more upbeat update from his rehab work. The left-hander, who is coming back from surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow, told the Orange County Register that the procedure has changed how he feels physically.
“Probably the best I’ve felt in two years,” Snell said. “I’m pain-free.
I always had some form of pain, but you just battle through it. I thought it was just going to be there forever.
I was, ‘Alright, it’s something I’m just going to have to deal with. I’ll battle through it.’
Then I had the surgery and as soon as I started throwing again I was, ‘Hey, my shoulder feels good.'
"I was in great spirits, just real happy. … I have no more pain in my arm.
I throw freely. My body feels great.
I can locate a pitch where I want too now. That’s pretty cool.
All the time now, not just once in awhile.”
Those updates came alongside a busy stretch of Dodgers news, with the club also drawing attention for a possible blockbuster trade deadline move, its decision on a White House visit to celebrate the 2025 World Series, Andrew Friedman’s comments on the key factor shaping the deadline, and Dalton Rushing’s social media situation involving Jomboy.
In Other News...
Blake Snell Just Gave Dodgers Fans A Reason To Believe Again
Blake Snells recovery has moved into a more encouraging phase for the Dodgers, with the left-hander saying he feels the best he has in two years after elbow surgery and has no pain in his arm. Snell has already been facing live hitters as he works his way back from the procedure, and the next step in his return should be a rehab assignment before he tries to rejoin the starting rotation.
For a team that has had to manage plenty of pitching uncertainty, any sign that Snell is trending toward a mid-August return matters. His surgery used a NanoNeedle procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow, and while the final stretch of the comeback still has to play out, the early signs are at least giving Dodgers fans a reason to think the rotation could get a meaningful boost soon. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Trade Proposal Puts Orioles In A Tough Spot With Lefty
The Dodgers are still weighing ways to add pitching before the trade deadline, and one idea on the table would send them after a left-hander who has quietly rebuilt his value over the summer. Baltimores Trevor Rogers has looked much sharper in recent weeks, which is exactly the kind of rebound that can make a front office pause and ask whether the market price is about to rise.
For Los Angeles, the question is less about whether Rogers can help and more about how much prospect capital it should be willing to part with to get him. Jackson Ferris remains one of the organizations more intriguing young arms, while Ryan Ward has also put himself on the radar as a depth bat, so any deal built around those two would force the Dodgers to decide how aggressively they want to chase immediate rotation help. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Still Have One Lineup Problem That Could Haunt October
The Dodgers have spent much of the season trying to solve a lineup question that sits just behind Shohei Ohtani, where production has been uneven enough to keep drawing manager Dave Roberts back to the topic. The No. 2 spot is supposed to be a bridge between Ohtani and the rest of the order, but the team has rotated several accomplished hitters through it without finding much consistency, leaving a small but persistent hole in a lineup built to overwhelm opponents.
Roberts has acknowledged there may be a mental side to the job, with hitters feeling the weight of batting directly behind Ohtani, though he stopped short of saying he knows that for certain. The Dodgers are still weighing options for later in the season, including a possible look at Will Smith when he returns from injury, and the answer could matter more in October than it has in the regular season if this one spot continues to lag. [Read more 🡒]