Dodgers To Visit White House Thursday — But Not Every Player Is Going

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles Dodgers will visit the White House Thursday to celebrate their second consecutive World Series championship despite criticism from some fans and immigrant-rights advocates.

The appearance will take place during a scheduled off day on the team’s East Coast road trip. The Dodgers completed a series against the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday and are scheduled to face the New York Mets Friday.

“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,” the team said in a statement earlier this month. “We appreciate these tributes in recognition of our back-to-back championships.”

Manager Dave Roberts said he welcomed the invitation.

“Honestly, like I’ve always said — my company line, my personal line — is I hope that we get this invitation every year, because that’s the goal, to win a championship, to get this invitation to the White House,” Roberts said.

Not every player is expected to attend.

Shortstop Mookie Betts said he will likely spend the off day with his family following the recent birth of his third child. He said the decision was not politically motivated.

“I’m not trying to make this a whole big deal,” Betts said. “We just had a baby. You don’t get many days off. They’re coming on the road trip. And just want to hang out with the fam. That’s really kind of it. But people are gonna make it a whole bunch of other stuff.”

Betts attended the Dodgers’ White House celebration following the team’s 2024 championship. He previously declined to attend a celebration with the Boston Red Sox after the team won the 2018 World Series.

Utility player Kiké Hernández will also miss Thursday’s appearance as he begins a minor league rehabilitation assignment for a strained left oblique. Hernández has said he probably would not have attended even if he were active.

Hernández has been among the Dodgers’ most outspoken players on immigration issues. Last summer, he said he could not stand “to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart.”

The White House visit comes after demonstrators gathered outside Dodger Stadium in March to criticize the team’s response to federal immigration enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area. Protesters also called on the Dodgers to skip the visit.

The team later pledged $1.1 million to organizations assisting immigrant families and said federal immigration agents would not be allowed to use Dodger Stadium as a staging area.

The Dodgers were initially expected to visit the White House during an April series in Washington, D.C., but the appearance was postponed because of scheduling issues.

The Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series in November to claim their second consecutive championship.

City News Service contributed to this report.