Dodgers Cutting Veteran Infielder to Make Room for Tommy Edman

The Los Angeles Dodgers are planning to activate Tommy Edman off the 60-day injured list on Tuesday, providing a major boost to the lineup.

Edman hasn't played this season after undergoing offseason ankle surgery. Manager Dave Roberts said the injury has bothered him for the last few years, and he's happy to finally have it taken care of.

“It’s been a few years just nagging, and even with the surgery, they were still kind of trying to get over the hump with feeling good,” Roberts said. “It was important just so we can get it behind us."

While Edman's return is great news for the Dodgers' lineup and defensive optionality, it's bad news for one player.

Manager Dave Roberts said the team will be designating infielder Santiago Espinal for assignment to make room for Edman.

"We're gonna DFA Espinal," Roberts said after Monday's game. "Espy's been great for us, but it's just kind of the fit right now with our ball club, it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense [to keep him]."

This will be the second time this season that Espinal will be cut by the Dodgers.

When Kiké Hernández was activated off the 60-day IL, Espinal was designated for assignment. Then, when Hernández went back on the IL with a new injury, Espinal was quickly re-signed.

Since returning to the team, Espinal has gone 6-for-15 (.400) with three runs batted in and an OPS of .775.

Overall this season, Espinal has appeared in 36 games for the Dodgers, hitting .268 with one home run, seven RBIs and an OPS of .651.

Now, the 31-year-old will again head to waivers, where another team will have the opportunity to claim him. If not, he'll be eligible to head to free agency and look for another major league opportunity.

Dodgers Decided to Stick With Alex Freeland Over Santiago Espinal

The Dodgers were likely deciding between two corresponding moves for Edman: designating Espinal for assignment or optioning Alex Freeland to the minor leagues.

In the end, the team made the decision to allow Freeland to stick at the MLB level for now.

The 24-year-old Freeland has had a whirlwind 2026 season, initially breaking camp with the Dodgers after beating out Hyeseong Kim for the final roster spot. Then, Kim joined the team following the injury to Mookie Betts, and when Betts returned a month later, Freeland was optioned to Triple-A (while Kim stayed up).

Freeland then came back to the major leagues when Hernández went on the IL, and has gone 9-for-41 (.220) with one home run, eight RBIs and an OPS of .668 since.

With Edman expected to play a lot of second base, it was possible Freeland got the boot.

However, the Dodgers plan on slowly working Edman back into action — and moving him all over the field — meaning Freeland should continue to get semi-consistent opportunities at the MLB level.

"It'll be second [base], third [base] and some left [field]," Roberts said of where Edman will play. "We’re gonna be mindful of playing time, and [it will] probably be a three-or-four-time-a-week situation for a while.”

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