LOS ANGELES — Left fielder Joc Pederson is back in Los Angeles, where he spent the first seven seasons of his career, and a contingent of Dodgers, including Clayton Kershaw, Justin Turner, A.J. Pollock, Cody Bellinger and president Andrew Friedman, presented him with his 2020 World Series ring before the Cubs’ 4-0 victory Thursday.
Pederson has been catching up with his old teammates and coaches and before each game can be spotted talking on the field with old friends. The Dodgers also gave Pederson a video tribute.
‘‘I think it’s a special day for him,’’ Cubs manager David Ross said Thursday. ‘‘A lot of fanfare. Hopefully he gets a lot of love from these fans, which I’m sure he will. This is a guy that started his career here, made a name for himself and been a part of not just one World Series but three. Just around a lot of winning.
‘‘He’s got a lot of friends here. He’s got a lot of coaches whom he’s got real relationships with and been around a lot of winning here. So I’m excited for him to get those moments.’’
‘‘It’s a little different, for sure,’’ Pederson said. ‘‘Coming through the grand entrance, you’ve got to park somewhere else. Different locker rooms and all that. It’s definitely different, but when you step out on the field, it’s a special feeling. Iconic stadium, so it’s pretty awesome.”
Injury update
Right-hander Dillon Maples (strained right triceps) has headed to Triple-A Iowa and will begin his rehab assignment there. Right-hander Trevor Williams (appendicitis) will join Maples and left-hander Justin Steele (strained hamstring) in Des Moines.
The Cubs will be cautious with Williams as he tries to work his way back into pitching shape.
‘‘He’s gotta build back up to be able to pitch big-league innings,’’ Ross said. ‘‘I don’t know how long that’s gonna take, but his body’s in a good place. Like spring-training type of buildup to get ready to come back and start.’’
Infielder David Bote (separated left shoulder) continues to make progress and might start his rehab assignment at Iowa as early as next week.
He said it
Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, on Willson Contreras catching the Cubs’ combined no-hitter Thursday: ‘‘One of the coolest things last night was seeing him go out for that ninth inning. He kind of stopped and hesitated on the stairs. You could see it was, like, ‘Take a big, deep breath,’ and there’s, like, ‘OK, let’s go.’ You know he wanted it. He wanted it bad. So it’s cool to kind of complete that. That’s so cool for him.’’
