When Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles arrived for spring training on Tuesday morning, he had a bit of a hitch in his gitalong. Not a full blown limp or the appearance of pain, he just looked a little stiff.

Then again, why wouldn’t he?

If you recall, the 25-year-old Decatur, Georgia native and former fourth-round draft pick by the Miami Marlins in 2010 became an overnight fan favorite after making his MLB and Dodgers debut on July 8, 2016 at Dodger Stadium. But on May 9, 2017, the popular soft-spoken outfielder suffered a torn ACL in his right knee while making a leaping catch; an injury that would require season-ending surgery.

By every indication, Toles was on pace to become the Dodgers everyday left fielder in 2017 – until he tore the ACL in his right knee while attempting a leaping catch. (Photo credit – Josh Barber)

But is he okay now? On a scale of one to 10, how does he feel?

“Probably a nine,” Toles answered. “I was running yesterday, the bases. My surgeon was there. He said it looked good, felt good. I’ve been doing a lot of stuff. It’s been like eight, nine months, 10 months.”

But is he good to go right now without any restrictions?

“Those decisions, I don’t know. That’s somebody else’s,” Toles said. “We’ll see, but I don’t know,”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts looks on as Andrew Toles takes batting practice on Tuesday morning at Camelback Ranch. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

It’s no secret that the competition for a starting spot in the Dodgers outfield is as intense and competitive as it has ever been, with 12 guys (on paper) vying for three spots and perhaps two utility (bench) spots. Is the 5′-9″ / 192-pound left-handed hitting / right-handed throwing Toles concerned about this?

“I mean, it is what it is, just go out there and do what you can do,” said Toles. “[The competition] is probably good, it brings out the best in you. So, I just want to go out there and try to do what I can do and just try to get a job.”

As for “those decisions,” both Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman made it clear that they plan to ease Toles back into action this spring because of his surgically repaired right knee.

“I think that the medical staff wants to really take it a little bit slow and be methodical about it, which is smart,” said Roberts. “Obviously, for me, I want to get him out there once the games get started and see him and get him some at-bats, but he’s got some catching up to do as far as at-bats, so he might get a lot of at-bats on the other [minor league] side when they start going just so he can kind of catch up.

“But I’m excited to get him out there as soon as possible to get him acclimated again,” Roberts added. “I would say [he’s limited] a tick, but not far behind the rest of the group.”

As you would expect, Friedman’s take is very similar to that of his manager.

“I don’t know the answer in that we’re just going to monitor it day by day,” Friedman said. “We have some time to get him ready, so it’s not necessarily that physically we need to, but we’re going to be a little bit more conservative on the front end and then continue to ramp him up to the extent that he has no setbacks or unexpected soreness.

“We’ll just continue to do it, and if and when he does, we’ll back off for a few days,” Friedman added. “It’s much more of a feel thing as we go through February and March.”

Does the Dodgers’ top exec expect Toles to be ready by opening day?

“Yeah, we do.