Tommy Edman Recovering On ‘Slower Program’

Tommy Edman has dealt with right ankle trouble for much of the time since he was acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline in 2024.

Edman was on the 10-day injured list at the time of the three-team trade between the Dodgers, Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals, in what seemingly served as a precursor of what was to come. He ultimately underwent right ankle surgery during the offseason and expressed confidence the lingering trouble would be put behind him.

Tommy Edman’s recovery from surgery

The Dodgers initially projected Edman would make his season debut in late May, or perhaps early June, but that may no longer be the case.

“Slow program for Tommy. Kind of some soreness, some residual soreness,” manager Dave Roberts shared when asked for an update on the utilityman. “So we kind of backed him off a little bit. Nothing too alarming, but he’s just on a slower program.”

Roberts’ latest comments came just over one week after he revealed Edman previously dealt with soreness upon increasing the intensity of his running. It’s not clear if Edman dealt with more trouble upon trying to advance in his running program, or if his current status is an extension of Roberts’ prior remarks.

Tommy Edman’s ankle injury history

A sprained right ankle prevented Edman from making his Dodgers debut until three weeks after he joined the team via trade. He remained healthy for the rest of the 2024 season and went on to earn National League Championship Series MVP honors.

Edman’s ankle trouble returned last year, which resulted in two separate stints on the 10-day injured list. Edman also tweaked his balky right ankle during a game against the New York Mets last June, and aggravated it on the bases in a late July game against the Boston Red Sox. Though he did manage to avoid the injured list in both of those cases.

When the Dodgers ultimately decided to place Edman on the IL for a second time last season, they planned for an extended absence with the hope that rest and treatment would make for a full recovery.

Edman wound up missing five weeks but still was limited to primarily playing second base upon returning. He expressed a desire to again get back to filling a utility role and stealing more bases this year as a result of having ankle surgery last November.