another six months (until the 2024 season) to pitch if I don’t have to.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts characterized the outlook now as “hopeful.”

“I think with Walker, he’s a special athlete,” Robert said. “So I’m hopeful. I know Walker is.”

Team Canada

Freddie Freeman reported to Dodgers camp Friday, but he will be leaving soon to join Team Canada in preparing for the World Baseball Classic. Born and raised in Orange County, Freeman is eligible to play for the Canadian team because both of his parents were born in Canada.

He chooses to play for Canada as a tribute to his mother, Rosemary, who died of melanoma when Freddie was young.

“It means a lot (to play for Canada) if you know my story,” Freeman said Saturday. “My mom passed when I was 10. So I do it to honor my mother.”

Catching up

Both of the Dodgers’ big-league catchers will be leaving camp to participate in the World Baseball Classic — Will Smith with Team USA, Austin Barnes with Team Mexico. That should open playing time during the Cactus League schedule for top prospect Diego Cartaya.

“I think it’s great for Diego,” Roberts said. “It’s an opportunity that Diego normally wouldn’t get, a young prospect catcher to get a lot of repetitions with major-league players. I think this is certainly a blessing for him and a good opportunity.”

Coming off his first full season in the minors after playing 95 games at the Class-A level last year, the 21-year-old Cartaya is in the Top 20 of every prospect ranking.

“Skill set aside, his maturity is something that really stands out,” Roberts said of Cartaya, who was added to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster for the first time last fall. “He’s not in awe of being around this environment. He’s very curious. He asks the right questions. He’s watching. There’s certainly things with the bat that need to get cleaned up, that will get cleaned up just with at-bats.

“Just the way he carries himself, it just looks right. People have a hard time understanding what that means. But as an evaluator, as a coach, it just looks right.”