The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent most of their season winning without a full roster. Injuries have cycled through the lineup, the rotation, and the bullpen since Opening Day. Key contributors have gone down for weeks and months at a time. None of it has slowed them down.
At 67-39, the Dodgers own the best record in baseball. They went 6-3 on a nine-game road trip through Philadelphia, Washington, and New York. While rival front offices are working the phones ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline, the Dodgers’ most impactful additions are not coming from other teams.
Freddie Freeman put it simply when asked about the wave of players heading back to the active roster.
“Nice trade deadline, huh?” Freeman said.
World Series Hero Nearing Return
Kiké Hernández will be activated from the injured list Tuesday when the Dodgers open a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners at Dodger Stadium.
The transactions tell the story of a roster that keeps getting deeper as the calendar turns toward October.
Tommy Edman has settled in as the first-choice second baseman, with veteran Miguel Rojas spelling him on occasion. Hernández adds another experienced presence to the mix, someone who has been through playoff runs before and understands what the final months require.
The Dodgers are getting whole from within, and the result is a roster that looks significantly more complete than the one that carried them through the first four months.
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Key Arms Moving Toward Returns
The reinforcements extend beyond the infield. Blake Snell is scheduled to make his final minor league rehab start this week, with a plan to throw four innings. If he comes through that outing without issue, manager Dave Roberts said the team will evaluate whether to activate him or send him out for one more tune-up. A return to the major league rotation could come as soon as next week.
Snell has been on the 60-day injured list for most of the season. Getting him back would give the Dodgers another front-line arm in a rotation that has already been one of the best in the National League without him.
Tyler Glasnow is also progressing. He started throwing to hitters while the team was on the road trip, a significant step in his recovery. A minor league rehab assignment appears to be on the near horizon. Roberts expressed optimism about Glasnow’s trajectory without committing to a specific timeline.
The idea of a rotation that includes both Snell and Glasnow alongside the arms that have carried the workload all season is the kind of depth that makes October feel different.
GettyTORONTO, ONTARIO – NOVEMBER 01: Blake Snell #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches during the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game seven of the 2025 World Series at Rogers Center on November 01, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Final Word for the Dodgers
The Dodgers have won 67 games this season while missing significant players for extended stretches. That alone tells you something about the depth of this organization.
Now they are getting key players back, one by one, at exactly the right time. The rest of the National League has been trying to close the gap through trades. The Dodgers are closing it by getting healthy.
That should concern everyone chasing them.
Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Drops 4-Word Message on Trade Deadline