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Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman might hit 5th against some left-handed pitchers

March 24, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman will get a whole new perspective as he gets set to help the Dodgers pursue a third consecutive World Series title.

Freeman was in the No. 5 spot of the batting order for Monday night’s Freeway Series game against the Angels, with Manager Dave Roberts saying that is how the lineup will look, at least against left-handed pitching, in the early part of the regular season.

The Dodgers were facing Angels left-hander Reid Detmers on Monday.

“I think to start, yeah,” Roberts said of the order against lefties, which had Freeman batting behind cleanup hitter Will Smith. “I think a lot of times when I put together a lineup, try to make it more difficult for the opposing manager to navigate.”

Freeman has not spent a single day in the No. 5 spot of the order during any of the past eight seasons. He had two plate appearances there in 2017 as a member of the Atlanta Braves and last started a game as the fifth hitter in 2013.

In 132 career games for the fifth spot, Freeman is batting .263 with an .808 OPS, 20 home runs and 80 RBIs.

The arrival of lefty-hitting right fielder Kyle Tucker was the impetus for the change. Tucker was batting second on Monday, behind leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani. The new look had three left-handed bats in the top five spots of the order, with the right-handed bats of Mookie Betts and Smith in succession at the three and four spots.

“Having the ability to sandwich Will in between Freddie and Mookie and having (Santiago) Espinal in the seven to potentially have (Max) Muncy ready to hit, it just poses threats and not just right-handed and left-handed runs. It just makes our lineup tougher to navigate.”

In Sunday’s Freeway Series game against Angels right-hander George Klassen, Freeman was the cleanup hitter with Smith batting fifth. It gave the Dodgers three left-handed bats in the first four spots.

Tucker has 185 starts in the No. 5 spot, his most in any point in the lineup. He was exclusively a No. 2 hitter last season with the Chicago Cubs, spending 115 games there. His previous high as a No. 5 hitter was 30 games in 2024 with the Houston Astros.

In 12 games with the Dodgers to get ready for the upcoming season, Tucker entered Monday’s game batting .231 with a .912 OPS, two home runs and three RBIs.

“It’s just the quality of at-bat every time he gets up there, and he certainly has the respect of opposing pitchers,” Roberts said. “It seems like every time he gets in the box, he runs a 3-2 count. He sees a lot of pitches. … I think he’s still kind of getting acclimated with our team but the at-bat quality that we’ve seen, you can’t argue that.”

ROTATION REMIX

Roberts adjusted the Dodgers’ regular-season rotation behind Opening Day starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who will face the Arizona Diamondbacks at home on Thursday night.

Right-hander Emmet Sheehan will now pitch in the second game of the season and the series, followed by right-hander Tyler Glasnow on Saturday in the series finale. The Dodgers have a rare Sunday off during the upcoming weekend.

Right-hander Roki Sasaki will now pitch in the series opener at home against the Cleveland Guardians next Monday followed by Shohei Ohtani’s season debut on the mound on March 31 against the Guardians.

The Dodgers will eventually incorporate a sixth starter into the mix but not until the second homestand of the season in mid-April.

ONLY A MAY AWAY

Left-hander Blake Snell and utility man Tommy Edman participated in baseball activities on Monday with Roberts saying that both are targeted for a late-May return.

Snell was dealing with shoulder discomfort all offseason, delaying his preparation time. Edman continues to recover from offseason ankle surgery.

“(Snell) is going to need a rehab assignment,” Roberts said. “He’s throwing bullpens, which is good. The velocity was right around, a couple of days ago, around 90-91 (mph), so that was good. He looks good, says he’s healthy, feels good with no pain.”

HOME AGAIN

There were minimal changes to Dodger Stadium in the offseason with the most visible being the installation of electronic ribbon boards on the façade of the loge, club and reserve levels. The previous ribbon boards were only on the loge and club levels.

That project will remain incomplete during the opening homestand, though, because of shipping delays.

There also will be new signage above the batter’s eye in center field. That signage remains covered in advance of Wednesday’s press conference when UNIQLO Field will be announced.

The casual clothing retailer will sponsor the playing surface while Dodger Stadium will remain the name of the ballpark.

UP NEXT

Angels (TBD) at Dodgers (RHP Shohei Ohtani), Tuesday, 5:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, FDSN West, 570 AM, 830 AM

Orange County Register

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Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman might hit 5th against some left-handed pitchers

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ONLY A MAY AWAY

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