Tommy Edman Doesn't Know When He'll Be Able to Debut for Dodgers

Maren Angus-Coombs | Aug 1, 2024

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Dodgers wanted to add some depth at the trade deadline.

With a slew of players on the injured list and expecting to come off of it soon, the Dodgers will also have some roster moves to make. Barring other injuries in the future, the Dodgers will have to make some tough decisions about some veteran players on their active roster in the near future.

Trade deadline pickups Tommy Edman from the St. Louis Cardinals and Amed Rosario from the Tampa Bay Rays play multiple positions, a skill the Dodgers love having. Mookie Betts, Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor are all on the IL and can also play multiple positions.

When completely healthy, the Dodgers have eight players who can play second base and seven with shortstop experience. Six of them have played third. Once Freddie Freeman comes back from the family emergency list, they won't need someone to fill in at first base.

However, Edman isn't sure when he will play for the Dodgers. He had wrist surgery in October and expected to be ready for the start of the season but his recovery has been slower than anticipated. He injured his ankle in June, which pushed his debut back further.

The utility man began a rehab assignment recently, playing in eight games as the designated hitter for a Cardinals' minor league affiliate, before he was traded. The Dodgers will now have to come up with a plan for him to finish his rehab process.

“It’s kind of tough to say,” Edman said when asked how much longer he might need on a rehab assignment. “I’m almost treating this like a kind of spring training. But having gotten a fair number of at-bats so far helps out with the timing factor. That’s one of the biggest issues, is getting timing back as a hitter. I’m going to try to get some live at-bats and then getting comfortable in the field as well.

“It’s tough to say exactly when that’ll be, but everything’s been feeling good so I’m excited to get back and contribute to this team.”

Edman won a Gold Glove at second base back in 2021. He also has experience in the outfield, shortstop and third. He was shocked to hear he was traded to the Dodgers, especially while on the IL.

“It was very shocking,” Edman said of the trade from St. Louis. “I haven’t heard of too many guys getting traded while on the injured list, so I kind of thought that my name wasn’t going to be a part of it. But I started to hear some stuff over the past couple of days. Obviously, I’m very excited that it was to the Dodgers.”

It's up to the Dodgers to figure out where Edman fits in best as Betts and Rojas return from the IL. Will Betts play shortstop? Will Rojas play third? Those are questions that should be answered in the coming days.