Dodgers Use Wild Card Watch Parties To Stay Connected During Bye

The Dodgers are using their first-round bye to accomplish more than resting injured players and preparing their postseason roster.

They are also making an intentional effort to remain together.

Following scheduled workouts at Dodger Stadium, players and coaches have been gathering to watch the Wild Card games with food and drinks available. The idea is to prevent everyone from completing their baseball work and immediately leaving the ballpark.

Dave Roberts believes the additional time together can strengthen the group before the Dodgers begin the National League Division Series on Saturday.

“I really loved the watch party, and we’re going to do it again this year for a couple days,” Roberts said. “Have a workout, have food, drinks, let guys and coaches hang out, watch the Padres and Cubs, be together.”

Dodgers Do Not Want The Bye To Feel Like A Vacation

A first-round bye provides valuable recovery time, especially for a Dodgers team that finished the season managing several injuries.

It can also disrupt the rhythm players establish by competing nearly every day for six months.

The Dodgers are trying to balance those competing factors.

Their schedule includes live at-bats, simulated-game work, bullpen sessions and defensive preparation. Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman are using the time to work on their swings, while Edgardo Henriquez and several other pitchers are completing important throwing sessions.

Once that work is complete, Roberts does not want the clubhouse to immediately empty.

“Instead of showing up, checking a box to work out, then eject, I think that sacrifice from friends and family is important,” Roberts said.

“We’re at the home stretch. We’re in the playoffs. I think the more guys spend time with one another, it just lends itself to more togetherness.”

Dodgers Are Revisiting Their 2024 Blueprint

This is not the first time the Dodgers have held team watch parties during the Wild Card round.

Will Smith, Max Muncy and Miguel Rojas helped organize similar gatherings before the 2024 NLDS. The players watched the Wild Card games together while scouting their potential opponent and keeping baseball at the center of their week.

That represented a change from the Dodgers’ previous bye-week routines.

Los Angeles received first-round byes in 2022 and 2023 but was eliminated in its opening playoff series both years. While the layoff was not solely responsible for those defeats, the Dodgers acknowledged the challenge of maintaining urgency and team rhythm without meaningful games.

The organization adjusted its approach in 2024, gradually increasing the intensity of its workouts while placing greater emphasis on keeping players connected away from the field.

The Dodgers went on to win the World Series.

There is no formula that guarantees another championship, but Roberts saw enough value in that approach to bring it back this week.

Time Together Also Provides A Scouting Opportunity

The gatherings give the Dodgers an opportunity to watch postseason baseball collectively.

Los Angeles will face the winner of the Atlanta-Philadelphia Wild Card Series, allowing players and coaches to observe both potential opponents in the same high-pressure environment they will encounter Saturday.

They can see how each team constructs its lineup, manages the bullpen and responds to important late-game situations.

The watch parties are not formal meetings or mandatory classroom sessions. They are designed to keep the team relaxed, engaged and around one another while the rest of the postseason field competes.

That balance is important.

The Dodgers want their bodies rested and their baseball instincts sharp. They also want the clubhouse connected when the intensity changes Saturday afternoon.

For Roberts, that means treating the bye as the beginning of the postseason—not a break from it.