Dodgers Preview: Dodgers Return Home to Face Rangers in Early Interleague Test
The Dodgers open their homestand against the Rangers after a strong 9–3 start. Pitching matchups, injury updates, and who’s in and out for both tea
Los Angeles Dodgers (9-3) versus Texas Rangers (7-5)
LOS ANGELES, CA—After an impressive offensive showing during their first road trip of the 2026 regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers return home for their second homestand of the season.
Up first will be another early-season interleague matchup, this time against the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers and former Dodgers All-Star shortstop Corey Seager.
The Dodgers are off to an impressive start to their young season and are coming off a great road trip in which they won five of their six games, and nealry all six before a late-inning meltdown from Jack Dreyer and the bullpen on Wednesday.
Overall, the Dodgers have a 9-3 record, which gives them an early-season 2.5 game lead over the Sane Digeio Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West, along with a half-game lead for the best record in Major League Baseball.
The Rangers come into this weekend series winners of three in a row after sweeping the Seattle Mariners at home, but are ultimately just 3-3 over their last six games, being swept earlier this week by the red-hot Cincinnati Reds.
Last season, the Dodgers took two of three against the Rangers in Arlington, and they hope to keep the offense going as they kick off a six-game homestand.
Pitching Probables
Game One: Tyler Glasnow (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs Kumar Rocker (0-1, 3.60 ERA)
Game Two: Jack Leiter (1-0, 2.45 ERA) vs Emmet Sheehan (1-0, 8.00 ERA)
Game Three: Roki Sasaki (0-1, 7.00 ERA) vs Jacob deGrom (0-0, 3.72 ERA)
Game Times
Game One: 7:10 PM PT, SportsNet LA, Rangers Sports Network
Game Two: 6:10 PM PT, SportsNet LA, Rangers Sports Network
Game Three: 1:10 PM PT, SportsNet LA, Rangers Sports Network
Who’s In & Who’s Out
Not much has changed for the Dodgers as they open their series against the Rangers. Mookie Betts remains sidelined after exiting Saturday’s game in the first inning. He scored on a two-run double by Freddie Freeman but appeared to tweak something on a check swing earlier that inning, prompting his removal.
In Betts’ absence, the Dodgers recalled fan favorite Hyeseong Kim from Triple-A, where he’ll split time with veteran Miguel Rojas as the club stabilizes the middle infield.
Elsewhere on the dirt, both Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández continue trending toward late-May returns. Manager Dave Roberts said the pair is progressing well, offering the potential of a meaningful boost to an infield group that’s been stretched thin.
On the pitching side, right-hander Brock Stewart has returned to Arizona to continue his shoulder rehab. The Dodgers expect he could face hitters at some point during this road trip before beginning a minor league rehab assignment.
Non-injury related absences could be veteran infielder Miguel Rojas, who could take bereavement leave from the team this homestand after the passing of his father earlier this week.
Day-to-day (00):
10-day IL (2): Tommy Edman, Mookie Betts
15-day IL (4): Blake Snell, Landon Knack, Brusdar Graterol, Brock Stewart
60-day IL (5): Kiké Hernández, Evan Phillips, Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, Jake Cousins
The Rangers enter their series with the Dodgers monitoring three players on the injured list.
Right-hander Carter Baumler remains out with a right intercostal strain suffered during a perfect inning on April 4. Though his outing ended early, manager Skip Schumaker said the team expects a short IL stay, keeping Baumler on track for a late-April return.
Lefty Cody Bradford continues rehabbing from left UCL surgery. He threw 27 pitches in his first outing with Triple-A Round Rock Express, allowing two solo homers but reporting no issues. His mid-May target remains unchanged.
Infielder Cody Freeman is still following his 4–6 week recovery plan from a lumbar stress reaction and is expected to be re-evaluated later this month, keeping a late-April return in play.
Day-to-day (00):
10-day IL (1): Cody Freeman
15-day IL (2): Cody Bradford, Carter Baumler
60-day IL (1): Jordan Montgomery