Los Angeles Dodgers: lineup and rotation patterns
What 2023–2025 Retrosheet data tells us about how the Los Angeles Dodgers set their lineups and used their pitchers.
A record of past seasons, not a forecast: 2027 projections will be added once rosters take shape. About these team pages.
Our read on the Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers had the most fixed DH in baseball: Shohei Ohtani started 158 games there (98% of the DH starts), and only 4 players started at DH all season, the fewest. Ohtani also led off 148 times, and the leadoff hitter matched the previous game 94% of the time, second highest.
Their rotation was the opposite of fixed. Seventeen pitchers made a start, and the five most frequent made only 63% of the starts, the lowest share in the league; Yoshinobu Yamamoto led with 30. Dodgers starters almost never pitched on short rest: only 7% of starts came on four days of rest or fewer (league average 31%), and 38% came after six to ten days, the highest share in the league.
Where the Los Angeles Dodgers ranked in 2025
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Avg | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 93 | 81.0 | 5 |
| Different batting orders | 140 | 135.9 | 14 |
| Same order as previous game | 2.5% | 4.8% | T-19 |
| Most uses of one order | 5 | 4.8 | T-8 |
| Same leadoff as previous game | 94% | 75% | 2 |
| Players in the lineup | 23 | 24.4 | T-19 |
| Games vs LHP | 47 | 42.6 | T-4 |
| Lefty hitters vs RHP | 4.3 | 3.6 | 8 |
| Lefty hitters vs LHP | 2.8 | 2.0 | T-6 |
| Starting pitchers | 17 | 13.2 | T-3 |
| Top-five starters' share | 63% | 76% | 30 |
| Starts on 4 days' rest or less* | 7% | 31% | 30 |
| Starts after 10+ days* | 10% | 5% | 2 |
| Primary catcher's starts | 60% | 58% | T-15 |
| Players at DH | 4 | 10.7 | 30 |
| Top DH's share | 98% | 51% | 1 |
Three seasons at a glance
| Season | W–L | Games vs RHP / LHP starters | Different batting orders | Different players in the starting lineup | Starting pitchers used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 100–62 | 113 / 49 | 132 | 21 | 17 |
| 2024 | 98–64 | 109 / 53 | 130 | 22 | 17 |
| 2025 | 93–69 | 115 / 47 | 140 | 23 | 17 |
Who played where, 2023–2025
| Position | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Will Smith (106) | Will Smith (117) | Will Smith (97) |
| 1B | Freddie Freeman (161) | Freddie Freeman (147) | Freddie Freeman (145) |
| 2B | Miguel Vargas (69) | Gavin Lux (117) | Tommy Edman (60) |
| 3B | Max Muncy (121) | Max Muncy (66) | Max Muncy (90) |
| SS | Miguel Rojas (108) | Miguel Rojas (67) | Mookie Betts (148) |
| LF | David Peralta (97) | Teoscar Hernandez (104) | Michael Conforto (122) |
| CF | James Outman (124) | Andy Pages (76) | Andy Pages (117) |
| RF | Jason Heyward (79) | Teoscar Hernandez (50) | Teoscar Hernandez (132) |
| DH | J.D. Martinez (110) | Shohei Ohtani (159) | Shohei Ohtani (158) |
Month by month in 2025
| Month | Games | W–L | Games vs LHP | Different batting orders | Starting pitchers used | First start of the season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March/April | 31 | 21–10 | 11 | 26 | 11 | – |
| May | 27 | 15–12 | 7 | 23 | 8 | Dalton Rushing, Hyeseong Kim, James Outman |
| June | 27 | 17–10 | 6 | 23 | 11 | none |
| July | 24 | 10–14 | 7 | 22 | 7 | Alex Freeland, Esteury Ruiz |
| August | 28 | 15–13 | 8 | 27 | 6 | Alex Call, Buddy Kennedy |
| September | 25 | 15–10 | 8 | 23 | 7 | Ben Rortvedt, Chuckie Robinson |
Batting order and positions in 2025
Most starts by batting slot: 1. Shohei Ohtani (148); 2. Mookie Betts (137); 3. Freddie Freeman (96); 4. Teoscar Hernandez (48); 5. Teoscar Hernandez (46); 6. Andy Pages (49); 7. Michael Conforto (44); 8. Enrique Hernandez (28); 9. Miguel Rojas (34).
| Position | Next most starts (leader: see above) | Players who started there | Starter changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Dalton Rushing (37) | 5 | 61% |
| 1B | Enrique Hernandez (16) | 3 | 9% |
| 2B | Miguel Rojas (49) | 6 | 58% |
| 3B | Enrique Hernandez (21) | 6 | 39% |
| SS | Miguel Rojas (10) | 3 | 12% |
| LF | Andy Pages (16) | 6 | 43% |
| CF | Tommy Edman (19) | 6 | 35% |
| RF | Andy Pages (22) | 4 | 19% |
| DH | Eddie Rosario (2) | 4 | 4% |
Against left- and right-handed starters
| Opposing starter | Left-handed | Right-handed | Switch-hitters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right-handed | 4.3 | 4.0 | 0.7 |
| Left-handed | 2.8 | 5.5 | 0.8 |
| Player | Bats | Start rate vs RHP (starts) | Start rate vs LHP (starts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Conforto | left-handed | 92% (106) | 34% (16) |
| Miguel Rojas | right-handed | 33% (38) | 87% (41) |
| Enrique Hernandez | right-handed | 19% (22) | 66% (31) |
| Max Muncy | left-handed | 66% (76) | 30% (14) |
| Hyeseong Kim | left-handed | 37% (43) | 4% (2) |
Gaps may reflect timing, not a platoon (guide).
Rotation and rest in 2025
| Pitcher | Throws | Starts | First start | Last start | Median days of rest | Starts on 4 days or fewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yoshinobu Yamamoto | RHP | 30 | March 18, 2025 | Sept. 25, 2025 | 5 | 0 |
| Clayton Kershaw | LHP | 22 | May 17, 2025 | Sept. 28, 2025 | 5 | 4 |
| Tyler Glasnow | RHP | 18 | March 31, 2025 | Sept. 27, 2025 | 5.5 | 1 |
| Dustin May | RHP | 18 | April 1, 2025 | July 27, 2025 | 5 | 1 |
| Shohei Ohtani | RHP | 14 | June 16, 2025 | Sept. 23, 2025 | 6 | 0 |
| Emmet Sheehan | RHP | 12 | June 18, 2025 | Sept. 26, 2025 | 5.5 | 1 |
| Blake Snell | LHP | 11 | March 27, 2025 | Sept. 24, 2025 | 6 | 0 |
| Roki Sasaki | RHP | 8 | March 19, 2025 | May 9, 2025 | 6 | 0 |
| Rest before start | Los Angeles Dodgers | League average |
|---|---|---|
| 4 days or fewer | 7% | 31% |
| 5 days | 45% | 49% |
| 6 to 10 days | 38% | 15% |
| More than 10 days | 10% | 5% |
Catcher and DH in 2025
| Games | Team-games | Primary catcher started | League average |
|---|---|---|---|
| All games | 162 | 60% | 58% |
| Day game after a night game | 36 | 44% | 44% |
| All other games | 126 | 64% | – |
| Player | DH starts | Share of DH starts |
|---|---|---|
| Shohei Ohtani | 158 | 98% |
| Eddie Rosario | 2 | 1% |
| Will Smith | 1 | 1% |
Most common lineups in 2025
The most common exact batting order was used 5 times, more than the club average of 4.8.
Lineup 1 (5 times, last on June 21, 2025): 1. Shohei Ohtani DH, 2. Mookie Betts SS, 3. Freddie Freeman 1B, 4. Will Smith C, 5. Teoscar Hernandez RF, 6. Max Muncy 3B, 7. Andy Pages CF, 8. Michael Conforto LF, 9. Tommy Edman 2B.
Lineup 2 (3 times, last on June 3, 2025): 1. Shohei Ohtani DH, 2. Mookie Betts SS, 3. Freddie Freeman 1B, 4. Teoscar Hernandez RF, 5. Will Smith C, 6. Max Muncy 3B, 7. Andy Pages CF, 8. Michael Conforto LF, 9. Hyeseong Kim 2B.
Lineup 3 (2 times, last on March 19, 2025): 1. Shohei Ohtani DH, 2. Tommy Edman 2B, 3. Teoscar Hernandez RF, 4. Will Smith C, 5. Max Muncy 3B, 6. Enrique Hernandez 1B, 7. Michael Conforto LF, 8. Miguel Rojas SS, 9. Andy Pages CF.
Top nine vs RHP (10/115): Andy Pages, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Michael Conforto, Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman, Will Smith.
Top nine vs LHP (3/47): Andy Pages, Enrique Hernandez, Michael Conforto, Miguel Rojas, Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman, Will Smith.
Our own calculations from Retrosheet game logs, regular seasons only: notes, methodology.