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ATLANTA – Dave Roberts knows a thing or two about managing superstar MLB players.
Last October, Roberts guided the Dodgers to the World Series title for the second time in his managerial career.
He has also been tapped as the manager for Tuesday’s MLB All-Star game. Managing the National League All-Stars is something Roberts is familiar with. He’s done the job three times before — in 2018, 2019, and 2021.
Entering his fourth time as the manager at the Midsummer Classic, Roberts admitted he no longer views the responsibilities that come with the job as a “challenge.”
“Now that there’s no extra innings, there’s no challenge for me,” Roberts told Fox News Digital. “It’s easy, my coaches are managing the pitching … I’m enjoying the conversations … hanging out with the players, the coaches. It’s great because we’re hanging out with the game’s best, everyone’s kinda of having a good time. They’re not as edgy as they [would be] for a game that matters. So we can all put that aside, appreciate that we accomplished something to get here.”
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The Dodgers front office was far from complacent this past offseason. The team added to its star-studded roster with a series of blockbuster moves, which included bringing Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki to Los Angeles. The team also signed two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. Star pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who previously declared he would be a “Dodger for life,” agreed to a new short-term deal with the team.
Kershaw, along with his teammates Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, make up the five Dodgers who were selected as 2025 All-Stars.
Roberts added that all the Dodgers players in Atlanta for this week’s All-Star festivities are “having a blast.”
“Freddie gets to sleep in his own bed,” Roberts said of Freeman during batting practice ahead of Monday’s home run derby.
Freeman left Atlanta after the Braves’ 2021 World Series title. He went on to earn 2024 World Series MVP honors with the Dodgers. “Getting the welcome from the Braves faithful is going to be a lot of fun for Freddie.”
“This respite, this break is certainly going to be beneficial,” Roberts added. “But I do think that it’s going to be good for all the guys. I think Shohei (Ohtani) he could probably do without this, without all the attention. But, the game needs Shohei and he’s just such a great advocate for the game. Yammothao is going to be here… not pitch which is going to be great. Will Smith will take a couple of at bats… being the starter for him, I think he’s certainly earned it.”
Roberts has spent the past decade managing the Dodgers. L.A. entered the All-Star break in first place in the NL West division.
The 2025 All-Star Game begins at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
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