The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Shohei Ohtani on the paternity list before Friday's game against the Texas Rangers. As a result, Tommy Edman found himself in the leadoff spot, and it's safe to say he took advantage of the opportunity.

In a National League that features superstars such as Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper, Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Kyle Schwarber — just to name a few — it is Tommy Edman who is now tied with Schwarber for the league lead with seven home runs.

When it comes to all of baseball, the Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom leads the way with nine home runs. In the NL, however, it is Edman and Schwarber leading the charge. The fact that Edman's seventh homer came against two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom makes it even more impressive.

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Edman has enjoyed some impressive moments for the Dodgers since joining the team in 2024. Edman ended up landing a $74 million contract with the ball club this past offseason as a result. LA clearly believes in the versatile 29-year-old.

Edman may not receive a significant amount of attention given all of the star players on the Dodgers' roster. Nevertheless, his impact has been of the utmost importance. Los Angeles prefers to have versatile role players on the roster to help out the stars, and Edman's ability to play multiple positions is crucial.

Of course, having the ability to crush home runs off of former Cy Young pitchers helps matters as well. The Dodgers will look to hold onto the early lead and earn a road victory against the Rangers in Texas on Friday night. There is still plenty of baseball left to be played in the game, though.

The Dodgers hold a 1-0 lead over the Rangers as of this story's writing.