LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are going to open the season overseas again next year, this time in Japan.
The two regular-season games will be played March 18 and 19 at the Tokyo Dome. This will be the sixth time that MLB has opened a season in Japan and the second consecutive year the Dodgers will begin play in Asia. This past March, they split two games with the San Diego Padres at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea.
In addition, the global investment and advisory firm Guggenheim will be the presenting sponsor in partnership with MLB. The Guggenheim Group is the majority owner of the Dodgers.
The series figures to draw sellout crowds and massive interest in Japan as it brings four Japanese stars back to play in their native country – Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers and Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki of the Cubs.
These will be Ohtani’s first professional games in Japan since he left the Nippon Ham Fighters to sign with the Angels in 2018. There is also the possibility that Ohtani could make his return to the mound during the Tokyo Series. Ohtani is currently recovering from a second reconstructive elbow surgery last September and is expected to resume pitching in 2025.
This is the third time in 12 years that the Dodgers will be opening their season overseas. The began the 2014 season in Australia.
They also played regular-season games in Monterrey, Mexico in May 2018, made a five-game exhibition tour of Taiwan and Japan in 1993, played a historic exhibition game in Beijing, China in March 2008 and visited Taiwan again in 2010.
The Dodgers will return to the United States to open their home schedule at Dodger Stadium on March 27 against the Detroit Tigers, part of a six-game homestand that also includes the Atlanta Braves.
The 2025 schedule also features an all-New York homestand with the Yankees and Mets from May 30 through June 5.
The Freeway Series will consist of two three-game series, with the Angels visiting Dodger Stadium on May 16-18 (Friday-Sunday) and the Dodgers traveling to Angel Stadium on Aug. 11-13 (Monday-Wednesday).
The Dodgers finish their 2025 season on the road with three games each in Arizona and Seattle from Sept. 23-28.
In the third straight season of a return to a balanced schedule, a team will play 13 games against each division rival (52 games) and six or seven against each other club in its league for a total of 62. The remaining 48 games are against interleague opponents, with a single three-game series against each of the 14 other clubs in the opposite league.
The American League used a balanced schedule from 1977 to 2000 and the National League from 1993 to 2000.
ROSTER MOVES
In anticipation of opening the second half of the season on Friday night against the Boston Red Sox, the Dodgers optioned right-hander Michael Petersen to Triple-A and passed left-hander Jose Hernandez through waivers before assigning him to their Arizona Complex League team.
The moves clear both a 40-man roster spot and a spot on the active roster that is expected to be taken by reliever Joe Kelly. Kelly has been on the 60-day injured list with a shoulder injury. He made five appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City and Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on a minor-league injury rehabilitation assignment before the All-Star break.
Petersen has made nine relief appearances during two stints with the Dodgers this season, posting a 4.50 ERA.
The 26-year-old Hernandez was originally signed by the Dodgers and then taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Rule 5 draft following the 2022 season. He made his major-league debut with the Pirates in 2023 and pitched briefly for them this season before he was designated for assignment in June and traded to the Dodgers for cash considerations.
Hernandez was working at the Dodgers’ training complex in Arizona, trying to recapture the mechanics that originally made him an attractive prospect. He has already pitched two hitless innings in the ACL, striking out five and walking two.
PITCHING PROBABLES
The Dodgers are expected to start rookie right-hander Gavin Stone against the Red Sox on Friday with rookie left-hander Justin Wrobleski scheduled to start Saturday and veteran left-hander James Paxton on Sunday.
Right-hander Tyler Glasnow will be eligible to come off the injured list on Sunday. Glasnow went on the IL with back tightness following his July 5 start against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Dodgers are also expected to fill out their rotation – at least temporarily – by promoting right-hander River Ryan from Triple-A at some point.
