Dave Roberts provides positive update on Tommy Edman’s injury

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shed some positive light on the status of star utility man Tommy Edman's return. Edman last played in April 29 but hasn't appeared since after suffering from an ankle injury.

Roberts made it clear that Edman won't be require to rehab in the minors due to his injury. Before hitting the shelf, the 30-year-old has been one of the most reliable bats in what was an ailing Dodgers' lower half of the lineup. He has collected eight home runs, four doubles, a triple, and two stolen bases while batting .252/.295/.523 with an OPS of .818.

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"Tommy Edman told me that his ankle is starting to feel "very good" and that he's working on getting past feeling any discomfort while rounding the bases. Dave Roberts said that Edman is close to returning and won't require a rehab stint." - Dave Roberts via Doug McKain

Edman could possibly activated and might appear as early as the Freeway Series contest against the Angels or early next week against the Diamondbacks.

With the injuries to Edman and Teoscar Hernandez, the Dodgers were obliged to call-up KBO star Hyeseong Kim from their Triple-A affiliate. Kim, who happens to be Edman's teammate in the Korean national team, has had a blazing start to his MLB career.

In 31 at-bats, Hyeseong Kim has collected a home run and five RBIs on 14 base hits and three stolen bases. He's also batting .452/.485/.581 and 1.066.

Although Edman's return is imminent, the same couldn't be said for Hernandez who is still dealing with a left groin strain. He will start his rehab assignment at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga today.

Tommy Edman's blazing start to season

When Tommy Edman popped off in last season's NLCS, a few expected that he could replicate his performance and stay hot for the new season. After all, Edman's career-high in total season home runs is just 13. However, the utility star surpised fans and critics alike as he has already slugged eight home runs in just 30 games this year.

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Even though he hasn't played since April 29 due to an ankle issue, Tommy Edman's eight home runs is still tied for the 35th-highest among all MLB batters this season.

Per Baseball Savant, Edman is within the 91st-percentile in xwOBA, 95th-percentile in xBA, 93rd-percentile in xSLG, and 92nd-percentile in launch angle sweet-spot percentage this year. He has also rarely struck out and has often been able to put the ball into play with his 80th-percentile whiff percentage and 87th-percentile K-rate ranking.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago