Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani was the center of attention throughout this week in Japan, as he and the World Series champion Dodgers opened the season with a two-game series against the Cubs. On Tuesday morning, he delivered a solid performance in his team's 4-1 victory, going two-for-five with a pair of runs scored and a double. He scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning on an error and doubled and scored an insurance run in the ninth inning. While he didn't homer or steal a base, it was still a solid start to the regular season for the reigning MVP, who looks poised to be an absolute fantasy beast again this season.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (rib) was scratched ahead of Tuesday morning's season-opening win against the Cubs. The team described the injury as "rib discomfort," and after the game, Freeman said that the injury is in the same place as the injury he dealt with at the end of last year. He added that the injury is not nearly as severe and that he wanted to play through the issue, but the team chose to be cautious. While a recurrence of the issue is definitely a cause for concern, he said he was told he has a 75% chance of playing on Wednesday when the Dodgers face Justin Steele to close out the two-game set in Tokyo against the Cubs. The team will then have about a week off before opening the rest of their regular season with a home game against the Tigers. If Freeman is out again Wednesday, Kike Hernandez could get another start at first as he did on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Tanner Scott locked down the first win of the season for the defending World Series champions early on Tuesday morning in the first game of the Tokyo series. Scott came into the 4-1 victory in the ninth inning and retired all three hitters he faced. He struck out Cubs' rookie Matt Shaw for the final out of the game and earned his first save since signing a four-year deal with the Dodgers this offseason. Last year, he had 22 saves between the Marlins and the Padres, and he should be positioned as one of the elite closers in the game if he stays in the primary closer role for the Dodgers this season.

Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto looked dominant in five strong innings in his first start of the season, helping the Dodgers secure the 4-1 victory in the first game of the Tokyo Series. Yamamoto allowed three hits, one walk, and one earned run in five innings while picking up four strikeouts. He had the whole arsenal working against the Cubs, and his splitter was especially effective, drawing a 47% whiff rate. He threw the pitch a couple of miles per hour harder than he did last year, which seemed to make it even more effective. His great start to 2025 is a sharp contrast to his 2024 outing in South Korea when he allowed five runs in just one inning in his MLB debut. Yamamoto's next start will likely be in the Dodgers' series against the Tigers on March 27 through March 29, when the team starts the stateside portion of their regular season schedule.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that shortstop Mookie Betts (illness) flew back to Los Angeles on Tuesday. Betts came down with an illness just before the team departed to Tokyo, Japan, last week for a few exhibition games last weekend and their season-opening, two-game series against the Chicago Cubs on March 18-19. The 32-year-old veteran was fatigued during workouts, didn't play in either exhibition game and was ruled out for the series against the Cubs as well due to flu-like symptoms. Betts will now rest up in hopes that he'll be feeling good enough to play for the Dodgers' home opener on Thursday, March 27, against the Detroit Tigers. When healthy, Betts will serve as L.A.'s starting shortstop in 2025 while hitting second in the batting order behind superstar Shohei Ohtani. Miguel Rojas started at the 6 and hit eighth, going 1-for-4 with a strikeout in the 4-1 win over the Cubs on Tuesday.