The Los Angeles Dodgers are roughly two weeks away from heading to South Korea for the Seoul Series as part of the MLB World Tour 2024, so time is running out for players to prepare themselves for Opening Day.
On Thursday, the Dodgers received some good news when X-rays on Max Muncy’s left hand came back negative after he was hit by a pitch. Muncy took a day off on Friday, but he is now back in the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Chicago Cubs.
As for other players, here is some of the latest news and notes from Dodgers Spring Training.
Emmet Sheehan resumes throwing
Emmet Sheehan has yet to pitch in a Cactus League game as he was delayed by body soreness. Shohei Ohtani stood in the batter’s box to track pitches during one of Sheehan’s bullpen sessions, and it wound up leading to some trouble for the right-hander.
“Emmet is coming along well. He threw that ‘pen to Shohei and then another one a few days ago, and just a little body soreness,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed. “I think it was a couple days of no throwing. I’m not sure when he’s going to pick up a baseball again, but there was just overall soreness.”
Sheehan is now throwing again, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California New Group:
Emmet Sheehan said he is scheduled to resume throwing on Saturday. Was shut down for about a week after developing shoulder soreness following a couple bullpen sessions. #Dodgers
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) March 1, 2024
Sheehan may not be an option for the Dodgers during their Seoul Series in South Korea, but he is expected to be ready for the home opener on March 28, or shortly after that.
The right-hander is an option to fill the Dodgers fifth rotation spot, but due to the delay, he may fall behind another option, such as Gavin Stone or Ryan Yarbrough.
Shohei Ohtani scheduled for next games
Ohtani appeared in his second Cactus League game this spring on Friday, going 1-for-1 with an RBI while also drawing two walks over his three plate appearances. Overall in Spring Training, he’s hitting .500/.667/1.250 with three RBI and a home run during his six plate appearances.
Ohtani is rehabbing from right elbow surgery he underwent in September, along with an oblique injury that ended his season. However, he remains on track to be ready for Opening Day.
His next step is to play on Sunday and Tuesday, along with the possibility of back-to-back games by playing Wednesday, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times:
#Dodgers MGR Dave Roberts said the plan for Shohei Ohtani, who hit an RBI 1B and walked twice in three plate appearances tonight, is to play on Sunday and Tuesday and possibly Wednesday. LA is off on Monday.
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) March 2, 2024
Ohtani has been targeting 50 at-bats before the regular season begins, and he’s currently a little over 20 so far. He will get those by playing in games, facing Dodgers’ pitchers in live batting practice, and possibly by playing in Minor League and simulated games.
Diego Cartaya dealing with back issue
The 2023 season was a rough one for Diego Cartaya, who entered the year as the Dodgers’ top prospect but dropped rankings continuously during the year.
Cartaya has yet to appear in a game during Cactus League play, and the reason is related to an injury. According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Cartaya has a back issue that has caused the Dodgers to limit him this spring:
Dodgers catching prospect Diego Cartaya has been dealing with a back issue this spring. Similar to the stuff he’s dealt with in the past.
It’s why he hasn’t gotten into Cactus League action yet, though Dave Roberts said he should be ready for the start of the MiLB season.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) March 2, 2024
Cartaya hit just .189/.278/.379 with 10 doubles, 19 home runs and 57 RBI over 93 games in what marked his first action at the Double-A level. While Cartaya continued to show elite power, he struck out at a 29% clip and saw his walk rate dip to 9%.
The backstop had been working on swing changes throughout the offseason, and the Dodgers have expressed continued belief in his ability, but he will need to make a jump forward this season.
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