Dodgers returning to White House to carry on championship tradition

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts quipped that he has a “company line” when it comes to trips to the White House.

“I hope that we get this invitation every year,” he said Friday. “Because that’s the goal, to win a championship, to get this invitation to the White House.”

It took a while this year, but the Dodgers and the White House finally did finalize plans for a team visit this week. As the California Post first reported, the Dodgers will meet with President Trump to celebrate their 2025 World Series on July 23, zipping down to Washington D.C. during an off-day on their New York/Philadelphia road trip following the All-Star break.

This visit is coming later than last year’s, when the Dodgers were recognized at the White House in April for their 2024 championship.

However, scheduling conflicts prevented the team from making the visit during its early-season road trip to the Nationals, leaving their July 23 off day as one of the few remaining options over the remainder of the year.

“I think there was a lot of unknown,” Roberts said. “Then we got word, I mean, yesterday or two days ago that it was official. So then it was kind of [figuring out] how could we work this out logistically? A lot of phone calls, texts and communication internally.”

For Roberts, such complexities were worth it, ensuring the team will return to the White House for the third time in the last six years (they also visited with President Biden in 2021 following their 2020 title).

“I’m not a politician,” Roberts said, sidestepping the divided public discourse among Dodgers fans in the wake of Thursday’s news. “I’m doing something that teams have done for decades. That’s where I stand, really. I’m a baseball coach. That’s what I do.”

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The organization also cited tradition in its initial comment on the trip Thursday, releasing a statement that said: “As was the case one year ago, the Dodgers’ upcoming visits to the White House and Capitol Hill follow the longtime tradition of visits by other World Series champions. We appreciate these tributes in recognition of our back-to-back championships.”

Last year, that dynamic is what led the entirety of the club’s active roster to attend the ceremony, as well.

“The White House is an incredible honor to get to go see, regardless of who’s in office,” former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw said then. “We went in 2021. We went this time. I know there’s been a lot of stuff about, should the Dodgers go? All this stuff. But at the end of the day, getting to go to the White House, getting to see the Oval Office, getting to meet the President of the United States, that’s stuff that you can’t lose sight of no matter what you believe.”

The since-retired Kershaw is no longer on the team, but Roberts said he believes “a lot of guys [on this year’s roster] are going to participate and be there.”

“This is an individual choice,” he added. “But I do expect a lot of our guys to be there.”

One player who won’t is Kiké Hernández, who confirmed on Friday that he will be on a minor-league rehab assignment the day of the trip.

Outside of that, however, there have been no other players to announce non-participation yet.

As veteran Miguel Rojas described it, while confirming his attendance on Friday: “I’m going to represent the team.”

And, of course, be recognized for the title that led to this year’s invitation in the first place.