Alex Freeland makes Opening Day roster despite quiet spring
Fredo Cervantes
Host · Writer
The surprise wasn’t that the Dodgers had a difficult roster decision at the end of camp — it was how they chose to resolve it.
Manager Dave Roberts didn’t shy away from the weight of the call Sunday morning, labeling it “the toughest decision this spring.” And in a clubhouse filled with established stars and versatile depth pieces, it was rookie Alex Freeland who emerged on the right side of that decision.
The Dodgers optioned Hyeseong Kim to Triple-A Oklahoma City, clearing a path for Freeland to break camp with the big league club — a move that, on paper, might raise eyebrows but inside the organization followed a clear line of reasoning.
Roberts framed the decision less as a verdict on talent and more as a matter of timing and opportunity.
“The driver is him playing six days a week,” Roberts said of Kim. “Logging a considerable number of at-bats which he wouldn’t get here.”
Kim’s spring was complicated by his participation with Team Korea in the World Baseball Classic, where, according to Roberts, mechanical inconsistencies crept into his swing. The Dodgers believe daily, multi-position reps — second base, shortstop, center field — in Oklahoma City will better serve his long-term development than sporadic usage in Los Angeles.
That left the door open for Freeland.
And while his .116 spring average hardly jumps off the page, the Dodgers insist the evaluation went deeper than results. Roberts pointed to Freeland’s at-bat quality and defensive consistency — areas where the club believes he’s further along right now than Kim. Kim posted a .967 OPS over nine games but went 1-for-12 in the WBC.
“I’m not blind to the fact that Alex didn’t have a surface line of production in spring, and Hyeseong did,” Roberts said. “But that’s some of the stuff that we evaluate.”
Roberts continued.
“I think the at-bat quality has been fine, he just hasn’t finished off the at-bats,” Roberts said. “Alex played a lot, didn’t have a great spring, but played great defensively.”
It’s a quintessential Dodgers decision — trusting the underlying process over surface numbers. Freeland, for his part, didn’t try to overanalyze it. His reaction was far more human.
“When Doc told me, I got the chills,” he said.
The 24-year-old described an offseason of growth, one that clearly resonated with the organization even if the Cactus League stat line didn’t reflect it. His reward: a spot on the Opening Day roster and a defined role. Freeland is expected to start against right-handed pitching, forming a platoon at second base alongside veteran Miguel Rojas.
“Start versus right-handed pitchers and play second base,” Freeland said of the message he received.
That clarity matters. For a young player breaking into a contending roster, knowing where you fit can be just as important as earning the opportunity itself.
Freeland’s first taste of that opportunity came quickly. Slotted ninth in the lineup Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels, he found himself in the middle of a 10-run third inning, drawing a walk in his second plate appearance of the inning and adding another free pass later in the game.
No hits — but again, the Dodgers aren’t fixated on that. They’re watching the at-bats. The defense. The poise.
In many ways, this decision says as much about the Dodgers’ confidence in their development system as it does about Freeland himself. Kim will get his chance — likely sooner rather than later — but for now, the organization is betting that everyday reps in Triple-A will accelerate his readiness.
Freeland, meanwhile, gets to live the dream.
“It means everything,” he said. “I’ve dreamed of this since I was a kid.”
For the Dodgers, the hope is that dream quickly turns into production — and that their toughest decision of the spring becomes one of their smartest bets of the season.
