The Dodgers head into October with a familiar kind of tension: plenty of talent, plenty of confidence, and a few important health checks still hanging over the roster.
Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Edgardo Henriquez are the main names to watch as Los Angeles gets ready for the National League Division Series, and each comes in with a different kind of question mark. Ohtani has spent most of the season managing knee and biceps issues, while Freeman has been grinding through right knee tendinitis. Henriquez, meanwhile, is trying to make sure lower back discomfort is truly behind him after landing on the injured list last month.
Brandon Gomes said Tuesday that Ohtani is in a good place physically after getting some valuable time to reset while the wild-card round plays out.
“Everything is feeling great physically," Gomes said of Ohtani. "The swings, once he came back, overall were in a good place.
And using these five days to continue to get reps and feeling good into this series is really important. But feels like he's in a great spot."
Dave Roberts sounded just as encouraged, and he went a step further by predicting a strong October from the two-way star, who hit .245 in the second half.
"I feel confident that you're going to see the best version of Shohei of the last two months," Roberts said. "I know that's sort of a low bar given his injury, but I do think that he's as healthy as he's been in quite some time.
And every day from the training staff, it keeps getting better. So yeah, No. 1, he'll be a threat being in the lineup, but I do think that the performance piece will be what we're hoping for."
Freeman, who finished with a .184 batting average over his final 20 games of 2026, said he feels good enough physically to focus on getting his swing back in line.
"My body feels good,” Freeman said Tuesday. “I think that’s the main thing. I feel like it’s in a good spot to be able to do the work and hopefully fix my swing and everything that’s been going on the last couple months.”
He was also asked to stack up this stretch against some of the other postseason aches he’s played through, including the sprained ankle and broken rib cartilage that helped define his 2024 World Series run.
“A couple of Octobers ago was probably 100 times worse, ailment-wise,” Freeman said. “I truly feel good right now, physically. So it’s on me now to figure out the mechanics of the swing in the next five days, and I have all the confidence in myself that I will figure that out by Saturday.”
Henriquez brings the kind of raw power that can change a game in a hurry. He logged a 2.85 ERA over 60 innings this season and averaged a 100.8 mph fastball, which ranked in the 100th percentile among active pitchers, before the back issue sent him to the injured list. He has since been activated.
Gomes said the right-hander is moving in the right direction.
“He’s trending really well at this point,” Gomes said. “His last live BP went well.
He’s responding positively after he throws and isn’t feeling any lingering discomfort. We’ve still got a few steps to go.
But if that all goes well, then yeah, the expectation is he’ll be on the roster.”
Roberts pointed to the bye as a real benefit for Henriquez, whose career 2.73 ERA in 86 regular season appearances has made him a candidate to matter this month.
“I think he’s one of those guys that getting the bye has really benefited,” Roberts said. “He’ll throw another live or sim game to some hitters. ...
Then he should be ready to go. And given the body of work, what he’s done, the unique skill set could be huge for us, will be huge for us.”
In Other News...
Padres Just Left The Dodgers With A Brutal NLDS Opener
The Dodgers NLDS opener landed in an unwelcome spot almost as soon as San Diego finished off the Cubs in the Wild Card round. Instead of a prime-time atmosphere, Game 1 was pushed to a 1 p.m. local start under an extreme heat watch, with temperatures expected to climb to 101 degrees and humidity adding to the discomfort.
Dave Roberts made it clear he would have preferred a night game, and the concerns went beyond convenience. Player safety has been part of the conversation, and the scheduling shift came on the heels of the Padres sweep, even if the exact reason for the change still wasnt fully clear. For the Dodgers, it was one more layer of irritation before a matchup that already carried plenty of October pressure. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers NLDS Opener Comes With A Stadium Twist Fans Will Notice
Dodger Stadium is getting a postseason menu refresh as the NLDS opens, with Levy rolling out a batch of new food items for fans coming through the gates. The additions are built for the kind of October crowd that likes to make an event out of every inning, and the list includes a Spam musubi dog, orange chicken fries, a colossal burger, a wing sampler, chicharron and guacamole, and a churro waffle ice cream sandwich.
The new offerings will be available for all NLDS games, and there is at least a chance they stick around into the NL Championship Series if the Dodgers keep advancing. For fans, it adds another layer to a postseason atmosphere that already comes with plenty to track, from the action on the field to what ends up in hand during the long nights at Chavez Ravine. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Braves NLDS Opens With One Huge Pitching Question
The National League Division Series gets underway Saturday at Dodger Stadium, and for the Dodgers the first layer of strategy comes before the first pitch is even thrown. Atlanta arrives fresh off a wild-card sweep of the Phillies, while Los Angeles had the benefit of a bye, giving both sides a different kind of edge as the matchup shifts from survival baseball to a best-of-five series.
Chris Sales status for the opener is the biggest pitching question hanging over the matchup, with his recent workload creating real uncertainty for the Braves. From the Dodgers side, the bye gives them some flexibility in how they line up their own rotation for Game 1, a small but meaningful advantage in a series where every decision around the mound could shape the tone early. [Read more 🡒]