The Los Angeles Dodgers held their first full-squad workout at Camelback Ranch on Monday, with all members of the 40-man roster and non-roster invitees accounted for. Not that there were indications that wouldn’t be the case, as several position players arrived early.
The Dodgers received some good news on the injury front as both Alex Wood and Walker Buehler stepped on the mound for their first bullpen sessions of the spring. Wood turned his ankle doing calisthenics on the first day of workouts, but the injury is not expected to be an issue moving forward as an x-ray did not reveal any structural damage.
Buehler’s bullpen session was moved back due to back discomfort that hampered him for the past month, slowing down his throwing program.
The plan is to slow-play Buehler this spring in an effort to limit his innings this season. So him throwing a bullpen on Monday was a bit of a surprise, although the organization certainly is pleased to see him healthy.
A lot of the focus for the Dodgers since they reported to camp and certainly on Monday was on putting the World Series loss behind them to make sure their focus is on the 2018 season.
Cody Bellinger recently said that the team wants it more this year than they did last season. The Dodgers return the same core nucleus of players that dealt with the heartbreaking World Series loss, which presumably will serve as fuel.
The team’s Cactus League opener is just a few days away as they will face their Camelback Ranch co-tenant, Chicago White Sox, on Friday. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has yet to announce who his starter will be for that game or what position players he expects to be playing.
