Manny Machado made his Los Angeles Dodgers debut Friday night, starting at shortstop and batting second in the series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. He went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and two walks, providing a immediate look at what’s likely to come.
By acquiring Machado, the Dodgers further strengthened their lineup and solidified the shortstop position, where Kiké Hernandez and Chris Taylor have filled in since Corey Seager underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery in April.
This year marks the first of Machado’s career where he’s exclusively played shortstop. He approached the Baltimore Orioles during the offseason about sliding over from third base. They naturally granted one of their franchise cornerstones his wish.
But upon being traded to the Dodgers, general manager Farhan Zaidi made it clear Machado would see some time at third base. The 26-year-old was said to have taken just fine to that conversation with manager Dave Roberts.
Machado confirmed as much during his introductory press conference at Miller Park, explaining his focus is solely on doing whatever is necessary to win a World Series, as seen on Spectrum SportsNet LA:
“I’m here to win. At the end of the day, I want to win a ring. … Whaetver I could do to make the process easier or better as a team, I’m all up for it.”
Although the Dodgers intend to utilize Machado at third base and shortstop, Roberts indicated it would at least be a couple weeks before the club asked the All-Star to move to the hot corner.
Nonetheless, with Machado now in the fold, many are projecting the Dodgers to win the National League West for a sixth consecutive season. Moreover, their odds improved to both reach and win the World Series.
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