Dodgers Injury Update: Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Dustin May, Michael Kopech

Even though it would've been nice if the Dodgers came into spring training completely healthy across the board, there were way too many lingering injury storylines, especially for pitchers, at the end of the 2024 season for that to happen. Lest we forget, the Dodgers were deploying bullpen games all the way into Game 5 of the World Series.

There have already been a few disheartening updates; Clayton Kershaw will begin the year on the IL (to no one's surprise) and Evan Phillips might too, as he was dealing with a shoulder injury that kept him out of the Fall Classic.

However, a few Dodgers position players do seem to be progressing well. Freddie Freeman, who is still recovering from two surgeries after last season, took some swings in batting practice over the weekend and said: "I wasn’t supposed to swing today, but I swung. I couldn’t help myself." He added that he's "perfectly on track" for the Tokyo Series next month.

Will Smith is also one to keep an eye on, though there are no giant red flags yet. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic noted that Smith had a lingering ankle issue and would not appear in Cactus League games during the first week of play.

Dodgers Injury Updates: Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Dustin May, Michael Kopech

Dustin May, who is also on track to return — although it remains to be seen what capacity that will be in — revealed some harrowing details of the cause of his esophagus surgery last year. During a dinner in July, he got a piece of lettuce stuck in his throat at dinner, which led to a torn esophagus. He said of the emergency surgery, "I probably wouldn’t have made it through the night if I didn’t have it."

May, Tony Gonsolin, and maybe even Bobby Miller are all fighting for the fifth spot in the rotation, while the other two could end up either in the bullpen or in Triple-A to start the season.

Michael Kopech may also join Phillips on the IL to start the year. He's been dealing with forearm soreness, also a leftover issue from 2024, and the Dodgers have already said that they'll be keeping a close eye on him and will exercise caution. That could give a younger reliever or two (Landon Knack, Ben Casparius) a shot at filling a stopgap role in the bullpen for a month or so before Kopech and Phillips can return.

Stay tuned for more injury updates in the coming days/weeks out of Dodgers spring training.