The Dodgers head into the offseason with more than just roster tweaks on their agenda. Yes, there’s room to add pieces and fine-tune the lineup, but just as important is getting key players healthy - and few are more central to that effort than Tommy Edman.
Edman’s 2025 campaign was a grind, plain and simple. A nagging right ankle injury never really let up, and it showed.
He landed on the injured list twice with a sprain, and even when he suited up, he wasn’t close to full speed. The explosiveness that’s been a hallmark of his game - especially on the basepaths - just wasn’t there.
Now, after undergoing a surgical procedure to clean up the ankle, Edman is focused on coming back as the dynamic, do-it-all player the Dodgers are counting on. He recently joined The Sedano and Kap Morning Show on ESPN LA and laid out his vision for 2026:
“Hopefully I’ll be in a spot where I can play both. That’s kind of the goal, just to get back to a spot where I’m fully 100% and can do everything.
Even stealing bases. I haven’t stolen any bases the last two years because my ankle would flare up any time I tried to do that.
So that’s the goal, to get back to 100% of what I typically am as a baseball player, and that would mean playing center field, second base and wherever else I’m needed.”
That’s classic Edman - versatile, team-first, and quietly one of the most important glue guys on the roster. But the numbers in 2025 told a different story.
He appeared in just 97 games and posted a career-low slash line of .225/.274/.382. He still managed 13 home runs and 13 doubles, but the spark that makes him such a valuable piece was clearly missing.
The Dodgers, though, are betting on a bounce-back - and they’ve already put their money where their mouth is. Last offseason, they inked Edman to a five-year, $75 million extension, a deal that also includes a $13 million club option for 2030.
At the time, he still had a year of control left on a two-year arbitration extension he’d signed with the Cardinals, but the Dodgers didn’t wait. His breakout performance in the 2024 National League Championship Series - where he torched the Mets to the tune of a .407/.393/.630 line with three doubles, a homer, and 11 RBI - made it clear he was worth the long-term investment.
Now, it’s about getting him back to that level. Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes and manager Dave Roberts have both voiced optimism about Edman’s recovery. Gomes confirmed that the procedure was a debridement - essentially a clean-up of the ankle to remove damaged tissue - and while Edman may be eased into action during Spring Training, the expectation is that he’ll be ready to resume his Swiss Army knife role once the regular season rolls around.
If Edman can get back to full health - and back to being the versatile weapon who can play multiple premium positions and create havoc on the bases - the Dodgers’ lineup becomes that much deeper. And for a team with championship aspirations, having a healthy, fully operational Tommy Edman in the mix could make all the difference.