For months, Tommy Edman’s ankle rehab—and the five-year, $74 million extension that came with it—fed a kind of low-grade anxiety in Los Angeles. But since his activation in mid-June, he’s looked like the healthy super-utility hitter the Dodgers hoped they were
For a few months, the Tommy Edman conversation carried a quiet, almost constant dread. The ankle surgery that was supposed to fix everything didn’t. The rehab timeline kept getting stretched with the “slow program” treatment more than once. And the five-year. $74 million extension—money that should buy stability—started to feel like the kind of deal another team might regret.
The Dodgers, though, kept winning through the uncertainty. Still, the worry wasn’t irrational: a 31-year-old utility player coming off ligament repair and a forgettable 2025 doesn’t sound like an obvious comeback candidate—especially not one who could return and hit like a monster.
Then Edman returned, and it didn’t just quiet the anxiety. It made it look foolish.
Through Thursday, Edman is hitting .366/.436/.537 across his first 46 plate appearances since being activated in mid-June. Yes, that’s absurd. No, it won’t hold in exactly that shape. Even so. what happened is what happened: the player who couldn’t stay on the field for long stretches is now one of the best hitters on a team that already employs some of the game’s best bats.
The joke in all of it—because it really does sound like one—is that this looks like the version of Edman that showed up in October 2024. He had a rough NLDS. but he was an NLCS MVP. and he could have won World Series MVP too if not for Freddie Freeman’s amazing series. That run was small-sample noise for sure. But it also came during the exact kind of timing the Dodgers needed: getting healthy at the right moment. and then carrying it into impact.
The “healthy-ankle” idea has teeth, and Edman helped build the case. This spring. he said the last time he felt close to right was the first month of 2025. when he posted an .818 OPS before the ankle started hurting again. The whole point of the November surgery was to get that feeling back for a full year—not just for a month. In a limited sample, it’s holding up.
Edman has also talked about his swings from both the left and right side holding up, which is pretty rare for a switch-hitter. That matters in a season where the Dodgers’ offense depends on more than just big names—it depends on repeatable, reliable roles.
And yet, baseball doesn’t let you enjoy things for free. His .452 BABIP is hard to square with anything long-term. He’s a career .260 hitter with a .407 SLG, so .395 and .579 are pretty outlandish. As a Dodger, his career OPS is .695, and this current run is well above that baseline. This isn’t real in the way people usually mean it—meaning regression is coming.
There are other warning signs under the hood too. Edman has a .319 xBA and a .423 xSLG. Those numbers don’t match what he’s posting, and they suggest he’s over his head. His barrel rate is currently more than double what it was last season. His average exit velocity is the highest of his career. His walk rate is also the highest of his career.
But the thing is, the original fear wasn’t about whether he could post a specific batting line. Nobody was lying awake wondering if Edman was going to finish a stretch with .395. The real question was whether he’d be a functional everyday player again—and whether the five-year. $74 million extension would keep aging into a problem.
On both counts, the early returns are emphatic.
Edman is moving around the diamond again, the kind of range and usability he couldn’t offer last year. With Teoscar Hernández back, his home looks like second base, and then he can fill in wherever the Dodgers need him. That versatility is why they needed him in the first place. It’s back.
The best part for Los Angeles is that they don’t need an “insane” version of Edman to make the deal feel good. The Dodgers are running away with the division and are stacked enough that a healthy Edman who hits closer to his career numbers is enough.
What he’s done so far is great—but what really matters is that the player they extended has walked back into the lineup and looked like himself. Okay, better than himself. And any semblance of a capable player moving forward is a massive win for LA.
Tommy Edman Dodgers ankle surgery rehab timeline $74 million extension Teoscar Hernandez NLCS MVP Freddie Freeman switch hitter regression