Los Angeles Dodgers Could Get Former Cardinal Back This Weekend

Former Stanford Cardinal Tommy Edman could be on the brink of returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup as soon as this weekend. According to a report from MLB.com's Andrés Soto, manager Dave Roberts is hopeful that the former Stanford and St. Louis Cardinal could be ready to return on Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels.

Edman is having a career year with the Dodgers, putting up eight home runs while batting .252 with a .295 OBP and an .818 OPS. He landed on the IL at the beginning of May with right ankle inflammation. The eight home runs isn't far off from his career-high of 13, which he accomplished in back-to-back seasons (2022-23) when he was with St. Louis.

The OPS over .800 is the first time he's had one over that mark since his rookie campaign in 2019, though there is still plenty of season left to go once he returns. His high since that rookie campaign was the .724 he put up in 2022, and he has been in the low 700's in the two years since.

Not only has hit bat been hot this season, but he's also been a plus defender at second (+4 Outs Above Average) and a league average defender in center. Getting his versatility back will be a huge boost to the club as well.

Upon his return, it will be interesting to see how Roberts and the Dodgers figure out playing time for some of their younger guys. Along with Edman, outfielder Teoscar Hernández is also slated to re-join the club soon, and those are two players that will need to be in the lineup most days.

“We have a group of guys, position player-wise, that we're going to run out there …,” Roberts said. “But coming off injury, do I see them playing as much as they did prior? Probably not for the early going. So I think that there'll be some runway for the guys that are not everyday players, essentially."

That will provide a little time for the roster to shake out, but guys like Hyeseong Kim, James Outman, and recent call-up Dalton Rushing could all use some consistent playing time as they continue to get acclimated to the big leagues as well. When Edman and Hernández are ready to resume their rolls, it will be interesting to see who remains on the roster.