Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Appreciates 'Luxury' of Resting Veterans with Big Division Lead
It’s only natural for athletes to want to play every single game. However, sometimes managers have to stop their players from themselves.
For instance, as the Dodgers continue their season, they currently hold a nice-sized lead in the NL West division. By no means does it mean that it’s wrapped up, but it does give LA some cushion for now.
With a month and a half left in the season, the Dodgers can start resting players a little bit. And with multiple veterans on the roster, it could be a good thing to get them extra time off before the postseason.
Manager Dave Roberts seems to agree with this and gave his thoughts on it all.
"It's a luxury. And it's a luxury that we've earned. I will say that, in theory, it's nice to think about giving guys days off but you and I know there's some guys that are going to be very resistant to that, even though we have this luxury. We'll see how that goes, but we've just gotta keep playing good baseball."
Per SNLA
Roberts has been around long enough to know how much time to give players off. He wants to find that solid line between rest and keeping the guys in a rhythm.
He is a World Series-winning manager and one of the best in the game. So, his choices should be trusted down the stretch of the season regarding this.
Guys like Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, JD Martinez, Max Muncy and more may be hesitant to miss any games, but it could be for the better of everyone.
Giving them a day off here and there with a sizeable lead in the division makes all the sense in the world. And it could be a huge matter come playoff time.
It’s going to be interesting to see how the Dodgers play the rest of the season. They aren’t that far off from catching the Atlanta Braves for the best record in the National League, so maybe they try to clinch home field throughout the postseason.
Or they could just see what happens down the stretch, which seems like the better option. This team is good enough to go on the road in the playoffs and win games if need be.
So expect to see some players given days off as the season progresses. It’s normal for good teams, and as Roberts said, it's a luxury that not every team gets.
