As the calendar approaches the midpoint of the MLB season, it is also right in the middle of graduation season for many high schools and colleges across the nation.
That has created a scheduling conflict for Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. As the Dodgers get set to wrap up their six-game road trip, Roberts is going to miss the series finale against the Chicago White Sox.
With his daughter’s graduation taking place Sunday, Roberts will be leaving the team after Saturday’s game at Rate Field in order to be present for Emmerson’s big moment at Stanford University, according to David Vassegh of AM 570 L.A. Sports.
“She’s graduate waiting from Stanford, so I’m really proud,” Roberts told Vassegh. “It is weird, though, because
you never want to miss a game. But I think that this is a good reason. … I think the one thing for me, is the world has evolved, and many can argue not in a good way.
“In some ways good, some ways bad. But I do think in a lot of ways from the workplace sense of things, it’s more open to people spending time with their families. Knowing that those moments are important, they’re fleeting. The job is going to get done with or without you.
“So I encourage my coaches to enjoy graduations and things like that. One of our coaches had to leave for a surgery for their daughter. I certainly welcome that, because there’s nothing more important than family. And also, I think when you get to do moments with your family and other things that are really important, I think you do your job better, and you feel better for the people you work with and for.”
The Dodgers faced similar circumstances in 2022 and 2023, with Roberts attending Emme’s high school graduation and his son Cole’s graduation ceremony from Loyola Marymount University, respectively.
Similarly, Dino Ebel has missed one game in each of the last two seasons to be present for monumental moments in his sons’ lives, including when Brady was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Meanwhile, Roberts expects to take the day fully away from baseball.
“It is going to be a day game and they are going to overlap,” he said of the Dodgers’ final game of the road trip and graduation ceremony at Stanford. “I think I might just try to put my phone down and be completely present.”
Dave Roberts’ expected replacement
Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann will likely be tasked with filling in for Roberts during the series finale on Sunday. Lehmann served as interim manager when Roberts attended a graduation ceremony in 2023 and again last season when Roberts served a suspension for his role in a benches-clearing brawl against the San Diego Padres.
Lehmann’s first season as Dodgers bench coach came in 2023 after he spent the previous three years in a game planning and communications coach role. Overall, Lehmann is in his ninth season with the Dodgers organization.
Lehmann has been a hot commodity in the coaching ranks over the past couple of offseasons. At one point last offseason, it appeared to be the favorite to land the Atlanta Braves managerial job. He was also reported as being in the running for the position with the Washington Nationals, but they ultimately elected to hire Blake Butera.
The year before, Lemann’s name surfaced in the White Sox’s search for a new manager before Will Venable was hired.
The Dodgers over the years have been a popular destination for organizations looking to poach coaching talent.
In 2024, Clayton McCullough was lured away to become the next manager of the Miami Marlins. Before that, Chris Woodward was hired as the Texas Rangers’ new manager ahead of the 2019 season.
Woodward rejoined the Dodgers organization in 2023 after he was fired by the Rangers.
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