Dodgers add Stephen Nelson to their broadcast team

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers have added Orange County native Stephen Nelson to their broadcast team.

A graduate of Marina High School in Huntington Beach and Chapman University, Nelson has worked for MLB Network, hosting “Intentional Talk,” and handled play-by-play duties on MLB’s Apple TV broadcasts.

The Dodgers say Nelson, 33, will appear on at least 50 home and road games on SportsNet LA, spelling the team’s primary play-by-play man, Joe Davis, so Davis can fulfill his responsibilities on national broadcasts for FOX.

Nelson is not replacing anyone but instead is being added to a broadcast team that will continue to include Davis, Orel Hershiser, Nomar Garciaparra, Eric Karros, Jessica Mendoza, Tim Neverett and Dontrelle Willis, with Charley Steiner and Rick Monday on radio.

The 33-year-old Nelson has a Japanese mother, making him the only Asian American play-by-play announcer working for an MLB team.

WOODWARD RETURNS

Former Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward has been rehired by the Dodgers as a special assistant in the front office.

A member of manager Dave Roberts’ original coaching staff, Woodward served as the Dodgers’ third base coach and infield instructor for three seasons (2016-18) before leaving to become the Rangers’ manager for the 2019 season.

The 46-year-old Woodward was fired by the Rangers in August in the midst of a fourth consecutive losing season. The Rangers went 211-287 with Woodward as manager.

A former infielder who spent parts of 12 seasons in the big leagues, Woodward is expected to work with the Dodgers’ infielders at the major-league level as well as throughout the minor-league system.