On March 7, U.S. time, in the rainy Camelback Ranch Cowshed area, two left-handed pitchers trained side by side - one was warming up for his first Dodgers season, and the other was preparing for his 18th year of journey. New signing Blake Snell was on the same pitch as legendary pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who completed his first bullpen practice pitch in spring training (coach Dave Roberts revealed he had started training while at home), marking a major step in the legend's left-handed shooter's start of a new chapter in his Dodgers career.

'23 goals, 19 good goals, good form,' Roberts commented, 'the players have seen his progress firsthand and are delighted with where he is. Kershaw's recovery is progressing as expected, and after undergoing surgery on his left knee and left foot last November, he is expected to be on the 60-day injured squad at the start of the season, but is expected to return quickly after the expiration of the term. Although he won't be with the team for the opening game against the Cubs in Tokyo on March 18-19, Kershaw plans to travel to Japan with his family to join the team. "I think it's cool to have the rare opportunity to go to Japan with Shohei Ohtani," he said at the time of his contract extension in February.

Miller's rehabilitation is progressing well
Bobby Miller took a step back to the game, throwing a real game on the afternoon of the 15th, facing Max Muncy and Andy Pages. Miller has not played since being hit in the head by a batter in the first game of spring training on Feb. 20 and is fortunate to be fine after a concussion protocol check, and will resume cowpen training about a week later. Roberts said that while Miller is not out of action for a long time, he still needs a "longer rehab period" as a starting pitcher, ideally reaching the standard of 90 balls in six innings by the end of spring training.

Roberts is bullish on Comfoto
Roberts has reservations about the spring training stats, especially with high hopes for new signing Michael Conforto. The outfielder, who signed a one-year, $17 million contract, is adjusting his swing with his coaching staff in an effort to regain the peak of his career. Roberts compared it to Teoscar Hernández, who signed a provenance contract with Dodgers before the 2024 season to play his best offensive performance and received a multi-year contract extension this January. "With his maturity, I think everything is on track," Roberts said of Confoto, "and I can't say he'll be able to replicate Te'o's 2024 season, but I have similar expectations for him." "

Saul was selected for the Tokyo race
In the Dodgers' 6-4 win over the Mariners on the 15th, Roberts brought good news to the minor league contract right-hand shooter when he replaced Matt Sauer in the ninth inning: he will travel with the team to Tokyo. Saul invites players to train as an off-list player and can provide in-depth support from the cowshed. Similar to Seoul, the Dodgers can bring more players to Japan than they did on the official roster, with 31 players on the roster last year, but only 26 rosters for the regular season.