Dodgers place 1B Freeman on paternity list, recall Ward from Triple-A

DENVER (AP) - The Los Angeles Dodgers placed first baseman Freddie Freeman on the paternity list Sunday and recalled longtime minor league prospect Ryan Ward from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Ward, 28, will make his major league debut after seven years in organization's farm system. He will start at first base and bat seventh against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

Los Angeles selected Ward in the eighth round of the 2019 draft, and he worked his way through the minors to Oklahoma City in 2024. He was the Pacific Coast League MVP in 2025 after slugging 36 home runs and driving in 122 runs for the Comets.

He batted .324 with four home runs in 18 games with Oklahoma City before his call-up Sunday. In 696 minor league games he is batting .266 with 154 home runs and 520 RBIs.

"He's a guy that, he's never been that big prospect," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I really believe in meritocracy and performing. Nothing was given to him, he's had to earn it and continue to earn it and continue to prove it. I do relate to that and so I'm sensitive to guys like him."

Freeman announced in February that he and his wife, Chelsea, were expecting their fourth child. He is hitting .296 with three home runs and 14 RBIs this season.