LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers got Tommy Edman back from the injured list and on Wednesday he’s starting for them for the first time in over five weeks.
“Having him back, our lineup and our team looks more whole,” manager Dave Roberts said prior to Wednesday’s series finale against the Rockies.
But there’s still a lot of sorting out and feeling out to do before the Dodgers land on an arrangement that works. Edman playing both middle infield and center field is a huge part of his value to the team, and why
they signed him to a five-year contract extension in the offseason.
Edman has been sidelined twice by a sprained ankle this season, which has limited his ability to play in the outfield effectively. After June 1, Edman only started twice in center field, compared to 28 starts at second base and 11 more at third base.
“I want to see him with my own eyes in games,” Roberts said. “Getting off the ball is something I’m going to be really mindful of watching. Once he gets to full speed, it’s a lot easier, which lends itself to center field. … He’s going to play the outfield right now. But I just don’t know how long that’s going to be.”
Whether or how the Dodgers ease Edman back into the fold will be another thing to watch. He starts in center field on Wednesday against Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland. Roberts said he liked Edman more against left-handed pitching than vs. right-handers, but the overall playing time remains to be seen.
The Dodgers last October relied on Edman, who played every defensive inning of the postseaason, splitting time between center field and shortstop. He might play some second base this year too, but it depends how he looks in the outfield.
For now, Michael Conforto will continue to get at-bats against right-handed pitching, Roberts said. He also mentioned wanting to give Alex Call playing time vs. left-handed pitchers, though Call is not starting on Wednesday against Freeland.
Conforto enters Wednesday with 440 plate appearances despite being below replacement level at both FanGraphs (-0.8 WAR) and Baseball Reference (-0.9 WAR). It’s the most playing time given to a Dodgers player with negative WAR at both Baseball Reference and FanGraphs in the last 15 years. Next-highest is 359 PA by James Loney (-0.8 bWAR, -0.7 fWAR) in 2012. If we stretch a little bit, Matt Kemp got 668 PA in 2010 with -1.1 bWAR and 0.0 fWAR. But he also a young player on the rise, unlike the 32-year-old Conforto.
The Dodgers need Edman to again be capable in center field so he can make those kind of decisions easier. Well, they seem pretty easy already — just stop playing Conforto so much — but having Edman play well would help drive that point home even further.
With Edman back in center on Wednesday, Andy Pages starts in left field in the series finale against the Rockies. Teoscar Hernández remains in right field, where he’s made all 118 of his starts this year. Hernández is at negative-9 Outs Above Average in his 117 starts in right field this year, after he was negative-8 Outs Above Average in his 104 left field starts last season.
Roberts said he was at least open to having Pages, who has the best arm among the team’s outfielders, in right field and moving Hernández to left.
“We’ve shown we can win a championship with him in left field. I’m not quite there yet, but I’m thinking about it,” Roberts said. “A lot of it is contingent how Tommy looks as well, for me.”
