{"id":15809,"date":"2026-06-17T19:03:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T19:03:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15809"},"modified":"2026-06-17T19:03:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T19:03:47","slug":"dodgers-ryan-ward-finding-comfort-level-in-first-extended-big-league-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15809","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers\u2019 Ryan Ward finding comfort level in first extended big-league run"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>LOS ANGELES \u2014 The waiting was the hardest part. But facing major-league pitching isn\u2019t easy either.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15807\">Newport Harbor\u2019s Connor Ohl is the Orange County Boys Outstanding Competitor<\/a><\/p>\n<p>After seven minor-league seasons, Ryan Ward finally made his big-league debut in April. That cameo lasted just two games, though, while Freddie Freeman was out on paternity leave.<\/p>\n<p>Ward got the call again after Teoscar Hernandez suffered a hamstring injury in late May. Since then, the Dodgers have limited the left-handed hitting Ward almost exclusively to facing right-handed pitching (he has just three at-bats against left-handers).<\/p>\n<p>He has done well enough to hit .256 (11 for 43) overall. But seven of those hits have been for extra bases (four doubles, three triples) and he has driven in 11 runs in 15 games.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGetting more comfortable. The butterflies have started to calm down,\u201d Ward said of his extended run at the big-league level. \u201cI have my own routine that I know now. Just more settled, for sure. \u2026 Those butterflies kind of go away. You start to feel more comfortable in the box, more comfortable on the bases, more comfortable in the field, stuff like that. Just trying to keep that feeling and keep riding it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ward has also seen firsthand now how different the pitching is between Triple-A and the majors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a lot better,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cA lot of guys, they have their plan and they can execute their plan over and over and over. Where in Triple-A, you get an idea of what they\u2019re trying to do but there\u2019s more mistakes. There\u2019s not many here. You miss a mistake here, now you\u2019ve got to battle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ward\u2019s second promotion has allowed him time to make the transition from just being happy to be here to starting to believe he belongs.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cJust having good at-bats over and over,\u201d he said of what he\u2019s learned he needs to do. \u201cTrying not to throw away at-bats or get myself out on pitches or go to places that they want me to go to not places I want to go to zone-wise, pitch selection-wise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After a Pacific Coast League MVP season last year, Ward was a known commodity at the Triple-A level. Whether he sticks with the Dodgers beyond Hernandez\u2019s return, by establishing that he can produce at the big-league level Ward might have made himself more attractive to other teams as the trade deadline approaches.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15805\">JSerra\u2019s GG Szczuka is the Orange County Girls Outstanding Competitor<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like him,\u201d Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Ward. \u201cThere\u2019s a willing player. There\u2019s a skill set of some power. He\u2019s defended fine in left field. He grinds at-bats. Certainly there\u2019s some swing-and-miss in there which we\u2019ve known.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut for a young player, his first time on this stage, he\u2019s more than holding his own. Even with the move with Espy (Santiago Espinal) the other day, part of the reason for (Ward) staying here is because he\u2019s performed. He carries himself really well. He\u2019s good on the team. It\u2019s just good for the Dodgers to give a guy like him an opportunity. He\u2019s earned it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<h4>HEALTH CARES<\/h4>\n<p>Will Smith went through full workout Tuesday and \u201ccame in this morning in a good spot,\u201d according to Roberts. But Smith is \u201cunlikely\u201d to come off the injured list when he is eligible Friday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to put a date on when he\u2019s going to play, but each day he\u2019s feeling better,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to get him to a place where he doesn\u2019t regress with it once he comes back. So I guess he\u2019s not out of the woods yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Hernandez has started taking batting practice and will go through a simulated game as part of his workout on the off day Thursday. Roberts said Hernandez is on track to start a minor-league rehabilitation assignment early next week.<\/p>\n<p>Hernandez has been out since May 27 with a hamstring injury.<\/p>\n<h4>EDMAN PLAN<\/h4>\n<p>Tommy Edman made his season debut Wednesday, starting at third base and batting leadoff with Shohei Ohtani limited to pitching only. Edman is likely to get playing time at second base, third and left field. There is no need for him in center field, a position he played frequently for the Dodgers in 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think when we acquired him, Andy (Pages) was cutting his teeth,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cNow Andy is on the cusp of making his first All-Star team. He\u2019s an everyday player. He\u2019s built to play every day. That\u2019s kind of the reason behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>UP NEXT<\/h4>\n<p>The Dodgers are off Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Orioles (TBA) at Dodgers (RHP Roki Sasaki, 3-4, 4.76 ERA), 7:10 p.m. Friday, SportsNet LA, 570 AM<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15799\">\u2018Shakespeare by the Sea\u2019 returns for 29th season later this month<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In his second call-up after seven years in the minor leagues, the slugger is getting a better feel for what it takes to succeed at the major-league level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15808,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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