The Los Angeles Dodgers held their second full-squad workout of Spring Training on Wednesday as the team continues preparation for Cactus League play, which begins Sunday with a road matchup against the Oakland Athletics.
Pitchers and catchers arrived at Camelback Ranch last week, but to this point had largely been limited to throwing bullpen sessions. Walker Buehler, David Price, Corey Knebel, Julio Urias and Victor Gonzalez are among those who impressed in the early throwing sessions.
Price’s presence in particular has been welcomed as he is back with the Dodgers after opting out of the 2020 season due to concerns with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Price called that a difficult decision but said returning to play this year was easy to arrive at.
He was among the Dodgers pitchers to throw live batting practice on Wednesday, which Price began by facing Austin Barnes, via Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
It’s live BP season. David Price vs. Austin Barnes. pic.twitter.com/0D78Nmwa2O
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) February 24, 2021
Price additionally faced Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger in live BP, via Juan Toribio of MLB.com:
#Dodgers David Price vs. Justin Turner in live BP pic.twitter.com/T37gScg8MK
— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) February 24, 2021
David Price vs. Cody Bellinger. “That’s a gross pitch,” said Bellinger. pic.twitter.com/t6kmeIW3BA
— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) February 24, 2021
With Price in the fold, the Dodgers are primed to boast a starting rotation that features three Cy Young Award winners. And though there may be some rust for the left-hander due to a long layoff, Price threw with plenty of frequency before reporting for Spring Training.
He also believes the time off will ultimately be of benefit health-wise.
Bellinger still on the mend
While Bellinger got into the batter’s box, he only tracked pitches. Bellinger continues to recover well from offseason surgery but is not expected to play in a Cactus League game until the middle of March.
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