The cracks in the Dodgers’ armor are not subtle anymore—they are glaring. What was supposed to be a dominant offense stumbled badly against the Padres, managing just five hits in two games. Their current outing? A 5-1 defeat where the heart of the order—stars paid to deliver in these moments—went completely silent. Four at-bats for Shohei Ohtani. Zero hits. A .280 average that suddenly looks hollow when the stage demands more.

This is not just a minor blip; it is a wake-up call. The most loyal voices around the team are sounding alarms. “The Dodgers have a massive problem on their hands and it’s called lack of hitting,” Brad J of Dodgers Digest said. “0-3 for Freddy, 0-4 for Betts, 0-4 for Ohtani……Freeland’s the guy who gets to hit and the RBI….He sparked something, so why is he only getting one at-bat?…..Let him play”, he added. The insider’s frustration echoes what fans are shouting from the stands: if the veterans are not delivering, why not ride the hot hand?

That hand belongs to 24-year-old Alex Freeland. The 2 Dodgers’ runs this series came off the star’s bat—a rookie who is refusing to flinch under the force of a heated rivalry. Freeland’s lone RBI Saturday did not just put a run on the board; it highlighted a hunger this lineup sorely lacks. As Dave Roberts said, “We’ve got to do more.” The subtext? It could be time to shake things up.

And this is where the story turns: can the Dodgers swallow their pride and hand the keys, temporarily, to a star just cutting his teeth in the big leagues? Or will the team continue betting on slumping stars and risk watching the division slip away? The urgency is no longer theoretical. It is here.

Adding to the Dodgers’ offensive issues, Shohei Ohtani failed to perform at the plate, prompting calls for an urgent promotion of Alex Freeland to spark the lineup.

Dodgers Add Reliever, Lose Starter Ahead of Vital Padres Finale

Just as the Dodgers were grappling with an inconsistent offense and the call for Alex Freeland’s promotion grew louder, the team made a vital roster move that could reshape the team’s quick future. On Saturday, veteran reliever Kirby Yates was activated from the injured list, a timely enhancement for a bullpen that has been walking a fine line all season. Yates, at 38, has not pitched since July 26 because of lower back pain, the star’s second vital absence this season after a hamstring issue in May. His return, though, could not come at a more vital moment—with the Dodgers locked in a tense division race and their bullpen’s late-inning stability hanging by a thread.

Yates’ 2025 campaign has been a rollercoaster. The star’s 4.31 ERA over 31.1 innings is a stark contrast to Yates’ lights-out 1.17 ERA with Texas last season, which earned the star All-Star honors and Cy Young consideration. However, the Dodgers see promise in his 32.8 percent strikeout rate, a sign that the swing-and-miss stuff is still there. If Yates can rediscover that dominant form, the star could become a game-transformer for a relief corps largely dependent on Blake Treinen and rookie Ben Casparius in high-leverage situations.

However, his activation came with a twist—the temporary loss of starter Blake Snell. The left-hander left the team to join his wife as the Snells await the birth of their child, landing on the paternity list. While the star’s absence is short-period, the timing is tricky. He has been electric since returning from a lengthy injury layoff, posting a 1.96 ERA with 26 strikeouts over the last four starts. Without Snell, the Dodgers’ rotation faces added force, specifically as the team battles the Padres for NL West supremacy.

The Dodgers now find themselves at a pivotal crossroads: a bullpen reinforced, however, a rotation momentarily weakened, all while the team’s offense struggles to wake up. Can Yates rise to the occasion and steady the ship in Snell’s absence? The coming days will be telling.