Could Tommy Edman be the Key to Another Dodgers World Series?

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The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent most of the 2026 season winning without one of their best players. Now that he’s back, they might be genuinely unstoppable.

Tommy Edman was activated from the injured list on June 16, returning after ankle surgery that kept him out of 74 games. He is exactly the kind of player that gets overlooked in a lineup full of stars, but come playoff time, he could be crucial for the Dodgers’ World Series chances.

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What makes Edman so valuable?

Most fans measure impact players in home runs and batting averages. Edman’s value is harder to quantify, which is part of why his absence hurt so much.

He can play second base, third base, left field, and center field. He switch-hits. He runs well. In a sport where roster construction is everything, that flexibility is worth more than almost any stat line. Manager Dave Roberts now has a piece that lets him rest other players, shuffle the lineup, and cover multiple spots without burning a roster space. That matters a lot more in October than it does in June.

Three years of ankle problems

This is not a player returning from a routine knock. The ankle has been a problem since 2024, when Edman sprained it on a rehab assignment with the Cardinals and was already on the injured list when the Dodgers acquired him at the trade deadline.

He got healthy, had a great postseason, and earned a five-year, $74 million extension. Then in 2025, the ankle injury reared its ugly head again. He missed 49 games across the two stints that year. He still played through pain in October, contributing two home runs and eight RBIs in 16 postseason games as the Dodgers won back-to-back World Series titles.

Surgery followed immediately. The procedure repaired the ligament and removed bone spurs. For the first time in two years, the ankle was fixed rather than managed. His return was slower than most expected, but the Dodgers gave him time to repair, and banish the injury for good fully.

What he brings back to the Dodgers

While Edman was out, Santiago Espinal held down the utility role. Espinal was serviceable. He is not Tommy Edman. The fact that Espinal was DFA’d the moment Edman was cleared tells you everything about the gap between a placeholder and the real thing.

With Edman healthy at the midpoint of the season, the Dodgers get their most versatile position player back exactly when depth starts to matter. Teams that can rotate lineups and rest key players without dropping off are the ones that go deep in October.

The Dodgers remain the favorites for the World Series, and while the addition of a player like Tommy Edman might not cause any overhauls for sportsbooks, Edman can make a difference when it counts. It adds a crucial support beam to a strong roster who could be losing a star away from falling out of contention.

A healthy Edman in the second half is the version of this team the Dodgers built when they signed him. Two years of ankle trouble made that easy to forget. He is back now, and if he stays healthy, the rest of the league has a real problem.