Tommy Edman homers, drives in two in win vs Padres

Edman had started in each of the Dodgers’ last five games, but he’ll get a breather in this one as we head into the final weekend of the regular season. Enrique Hernandez will draw a start at second base and will bat ninth against Giants’ right-hander Yunior Marte.

It looks to be nothing more than a routine day of rest for the 31-year-old infielder. Miguel Rojas will start in his place at second base and will bat fifth for the Dodgers against Giants’ left-hander Cesar Perdomo.

Edman has been a fixture atop the Dodgers’ lineup since Shohei Ohtani was shelved, so he’ll get a well-deserved day off in this one. Miguel Rojas will cover second base in his absence and will hit eighth against Marlins’ right-hander Eury Perez.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Ohtani is available off the bench and is expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday. Tommy Edman moves up to the leadoff spot with Freddie Freeman getting off his feet at DH while Enrique Hernández covers first base. Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a walk and a pair of strikeouts in his return to Los Angeles’ lineup during Monday’s win over the Reds after missing four games with ongoing knee and biceps issues. The 32-year-old two-way superstar told reporters afterwards that he’s going to focus exclusively on hitting for the rest of the season. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Dodgers carefully manage his workload for the final three weeks of the season to keep his as healthy as possible heading into the playoffs.

Leading off in Shohei Ohtani’s place, Edman hit his sixth homer off Clayton Beeter, giving him 32 RBI in 65 games since he returned from ankle surgery. He’s batting a solid .273/.348/.414.

Edman got up to 108.5 mph and 106.9 mph on a couple of his liners tonight. He’s batting .279/.355/.411 with 35 runs scored and 29 RBI in his 63 games since returning from ankle surgery. He doesn’t get a ton of credit, but he’s an awfully valuable fantasy MI while healthy.

Thomas had been the Dodgers’ center fielder against righties since Andy Pages went down, but it seems the team will go with Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernádez out there now. Thomas went 4-for-19 with three RBI in 10 days with the club.

Edman drove in three runs for the fourth time in 56 games since returning from ankle surgery. He’s batting 271/.351/.420, and he’d seem to have a better case than Mookie Betts for hitting third for the Dodgers with Andy Pages absent.

Thomas isn’t the most exciting option from a pure fantasy perspective, but he makes the most sense as a short-term stopgap for the Dodgers with Andy Pages set to miss 4-5 weeks with a fractured hand. The 26-year-old defensive specialist is an excellent defender in center field and is already on the 40-man roster. He’ll split time with Tommy Edman and Enrique Hernández for the next couple weeks. There’s a chance that a top prospect like Josue De Paula, Mike Sirota or James Tibbs III get a look once rosters expand, but that seems unlikely at this juncture.

Pages underwent X-rays that revealed the fracture after being hit by a pitch during the early stages of Friday’s game against the Pirates. Roberts didn’t say how the Dodgers intend to replace Pages, but former Diamondbacks center fielder Alek Thomas, who is already on the 40-man roster, seems like the obvious choice. He could come up and play against most righties, with Tommy Edman moving to center against lefties. That would free up some infield time for Enrique Hernández and Miguel Rojas. There’s an extremely small, but non-zerp possibility that the Dodgers bring up one of their top outfield prospects like Josue De Paula, Mike Sirota, or James Tibbs III.