The Los Angeles Dodgers are returning for their final homestand of the 2026 regular season as National League West champions and on the verge of getting reinforcements back from the injured list.
Edwin Díaz is expected to be activated on Friday, and Andy Pages may not be far behind. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did not specify a date for his All-Star outfielder but said Pages was “very likely” to return during the homestand.
Pages has been on the injured list since Aug. 22 due to a left hand fracture. He underwent a procedure that involved inserting a screw into his left hand to accelerate the recovery process without extending the recovery timeline.
Thus, the expectation remained Pages would be back with the Dodgers in four to five weeks from the time of suffering the injury. An additional note is that Pages will forego a rehab assignment prior to getting activated.
The 25-year-old has been swinging a bat over the past several days and took a step forward on Tuesday by hitting off a pitching machine. He then advanced to taking at-bats against the Trajekt machine.
Tommy Edman stepped up in place of Andy Pages
Alek Thomas initially received the bulk of starts in center field but was removed from the roster on Sept. 1 as part of multiple moves.
Since then Tommy Edman has been an effective replacement in center field, but getting Pages back lets the Dodgers get their best nine players in the lineup just in time for the postseason.
Edman’s ability to play all over the field has long been valued by the Dodgers. It was a strong motivation for his acquisition from the St. Louis Cardinals at the 2024 trade deadline and a subsequent contract extension that offseason.
But Edman’s versatility has been even more so valuable lately with Shohei Ohtani and Pages sidelined. Roberts lauded Edman for his ability to impact a game with his glove and bat.
The 31-year-old said he takes pride in doing his best to fill the void left by Pages’ absence.
Now with Pages on the verge of returning, the Dodgers will likely move Edman back to second base but also have the option of further leveraging his positional versatility if needed.
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