Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers and catchers held their first official workout of 2018 Spring Training on Wednesday, which meant bullpen sessions for Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Kenley Jansen and Yimi Garcia, among others.
Also joining them were newcomers Scott Alexander, Dylan Baker and Tom Koehler. The right-handed Koehler is penciled as rotation depth for the Dodgers and should see the bulk of his innings come out of the bullpen.
The morning began with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts addressing pitchers, catchers and staff personnel in the clubhouse. Roberts officially embarks on his third season at the helm as he looks to help the organization end their World Series drought.
During the meeting, Roberts introduced new bullpen coach Mark Prior, who joined the club after spending the past four years in the San Diego Padres front office. Prior was hired after Josh Bard was named New York Yankees bench coach.
While the day’s workout was specifically for pitchers and catchers, several position players have already arrived in camp to begin their respective 2018 campaigns. Position players are due to report on Feb. 18, with the Dodgers holding their first full-squad workout the next day.
The group will include Chase Utley, whose reported two-year contract with the Dodgers is expected to be finalized this week.
