Dodgers are finally giving slugging prospect a shot as corresponding move theories run wild

Late Friday night, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported the Dodgers' plan to call up top prospect Ryan Ward. Jack Harris of the California Post added that the move isn't expected to become official until sometime later this weekend, but Ward would be on taxi in Denver on Saturday.

Ward, 28, just debuted on the Dodgers' top-30 prospects list this year at No. 19, despite having been drafted in 2019 and being the reigning Pacific Coast League MVP. He was added to the 40-man in the offseason to keep him from leaving in minor league free agency.

Fans have been baffled not only as to why he has never been ranked before this year, but why he hasn't gotten a shot in the majors given his monstrous numbers in Triple-A — .290/.380/.557 with 36 homers and 122 RBI last year. We all got increasingly frustrated in 2025, when Ward was mashing in Oklahoma City while Michael Conforto was putting up numbers that made him the worst qualified hitter in baseball.

Now that he's finally getting the call, though, there is no clear corresponding move, and both Ardaya and Harris' replies are filled with theories.

Dodgers to call up PCL MVP Ryan Ward as fans speculate on the upcoming corresponding move

Harris has indicated that it might be a planned paternity leave stint; why else would the Dodgers plan a call up days in advance and keep the potential sword of a DFA or option dangling over someone's head for a few days?

Two more options (though totally fan created as of right now): an IL stint for Teoscar Hernández, who fouled a ball off of his foot during Friday's opener against the Rockies, and a DFA for Santiago Espinal, the last guy on the Dodgers' bench, who hasn't lived up to expectations since a hot spring training.

Both seem more unlikely than a paternity leave, but we're more inclined to indulge the Hernández theory than the Espinal theory — because again, why would the Dodgers plan a DFA in advance like that? If there are concerns about Hernández, maybe the Dodgers want to give it a day to hear back about some test results.

Whatever it is, Dodgers fans are just happy to see Ward — who's hitting .324/1.020 with four homers and 14 RBI — finally getting a chance. Although it seems highly unlikely that he'll get a proper start, and if this is a paternity leave situation he won't have long to make an impression, we're all rooting for him to make an impression in the precious few chances he gets.

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