The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled Ryan Ward from Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed Freddie Freeman on the paternity list ahead of Sunday’s game against the Colorado Rockies.
Ward’s impending arrival was first reported after the Dodgers’ win on Friday night. Manager Dave Roberts declined to reveal the expected roster move when asked on Saturday, but did rule out Ward joining the team because of injury.
Earlier this year Freeman and his wife Chelsea announced they were expecting their fourth child via surrogacy. They did not reveal a due date but a baby shower was recently thrown for Chelsea. The pregnancy was a driving factor in Freeman deciding against joining Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic this year.
Freeman is on paternity leave after batting .296/.360/.519 with seven doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI through 20 games.
Per MLB roster rules, a player who is put on the paternity list must miss at least one day and can be away from the team for up to three days. Thus, Freeman could return to the Dodgers roster as soon as Monday, but the more likely scenario figures to be at some point during their series against the San Francisco Giants.
The paternity list was added to MLB’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in 2011. Freeman is the Dodgers’ first player to go on paternity leave this season.
Ryan Ward set to make MLB debut
Ward gets his first call-up to the MLB level after spending seven seasons in the Minor Leagues, all within the Dodgers’ organization.
The 28-year-old was named Pacific Coast League MVP for the 2025 season after hitting .290/.380/.557 with 36 home runs, 122 RBI and 113 runs scored.
The Dodgers considered calling him up last year amid Michael Conforto’s struggles, but never ended up making the move. Ward later admitted to feeling some frustration over his lack of an opportunity.
Ward was added to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster during the offseason to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft, which made him that much closer to making his MLB debut for L.A.
The left-handed hitting outfielder and first baseman was off to another strong start with the Comets as he’s hit .324/.432/.588 with six doubles, four home runs and 14 RBI over 18 games thus far.
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