The Dodgers’ Yasmani Grandal steps into the batter’s box against the San Francisco Giants on opening day at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasmani Grandal hits a two-RBI double during the 12th inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Tuesday, April 17, 2018, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

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Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal was dealing with the stress of his wife’s high-risk pregnancy for much of the second half of last season. His family – and 6-month-old son in great health – he’s been dialed in since spring training this year. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

The Dodgers’ Yasmani Grandal hits a grand slam during the ninth inning of a game against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on April 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasmani Grandal is greeted by third base coach Chris Woodward (45) after hitting a grand slam during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Monday, April 16, 2018, in San Diego. The Dodgers won 10-3. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)



Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasmani Grandal reacts after hitting a grand slam during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Monday, April 16, 2018, in San Diego. The Dodgers won 10-3. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

SAN DIEGO, CA – APRIL 16: Yasmani Grandal #9 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is congratulated by Joc Pederson #31 and Cody Bellinger #35 after hitting a grand slam during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on April 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal and relief pitcher Josh Fields celebrate after the final out of a 7-3, 12-inning victory over the Padres on Tuesday night in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasmani Grandal singles against the San Francisco Giants in the second inning of a Major League Baseball game at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, March 29, 2018 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

The Dodgers’ Yasmani Grandal follows through on a two-run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during a game earlier this month in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)



The Dodgers’ Yasmani Grandal hits a solo home run during a game against the Oakland A’s earlier this month at Dodger Stadium. Grandal is leading the Dodgers in several key offensive categories. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

SAN DIEGO — Yasmani Grandal should have a lot on his mind.

The 29-year-old catcher lost his standing as the Dodgers’ primary catcher at the most important time of the year last season. Reclaiming that status – as he has virtually since the start of spring training this year – was vital for Grandal, who can become a free agent next fall.

But Grandal says none of that matters. He has really only had one thing on his mind for most of the past year.

“There’s a lot of things that happened last year, the whole year,” he said. “My wife was pregnant with a high-risk pregnancy. We didn’t know if it was going to happen or not.

“So there was a lot of things going on on the outside that when I look back at last year I think I did a pretty good job just handling what was going on all around me, plus coming in every day and pretty much giving 100 percent. Like I said, there wasn’t much I could think about. I took it one day at a time and the No. 1 goal was to keep the baby alive for a day.”

Grandal’s second child and first son was born on the eve of the World Series. Yasmani Ryker Grandal is “doing great” almost six months later, his proud father said. But when he arrived, dad had essentially lost his job to Austin Barnes.

Grandal hit just .186 from July 30 until the end of the regular season, losing playing time to Barnes along the way and padding a major-league high total of 16 passed balls. When the postseason started, Grandal was relegated to the bench. He started just two of the Dodgers’ 15 postseason games and had just eight at-bats in the postseason with no hits.

At the same time, Grandal’s wife, Heather, couldn’t travel and required occasional hospital visits to monitor her pregnancy. Grandal made the trip to Arizona to be with her “countless times” during the 2017 season.

“Every day off. Even on homestands,” he said. “Especially after 36 weeks, I was going back two, three times a week thinking he was coming at some point. Every time my wife went into the hospital and was kept there I made sure I was there.

“If there was a flight available, I would take a flight. If not, I’m driving five hours over there and five hours back the next day.”

The Dodgers were aware of what Grandal was going through. But lineups had to be made and games had to be won.

“With something like that you try to walk the delicate balance between making sure the guy knows you’re aware and you care but then also not making him recount personal, private family matters 10 different times to 10 different people,” Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi said. “Each of us probably had at least one conversation where we let him know we were aware of what was going on and we wanted to be as flexible as we could be.

“In terms of his availability and being here, he was a total professional about it. … You try to be aware of those things. But you still try to make the right roster and lineup decisions for the team. Separating those things out is hard, because you want to be sympathetic and understanding to the person – and you try to be without letting it influence what is best for the team, especially when you’re playing for those stakes (in the postseason).”

Whether that experience has given Grandal added perspective or coming through it has given him a clear mind entering 2018, he has been the Dodgers’ best player in the early going. He leads the Dodgers’ hitters in, well, pretty much everything – batting average (.352), on-base percentage (.435), slugging percentage (.611), RBIs (13), total bases (33) and OPS (1.047).

“With Yasmani, he’s as good as we have as far as looking over a baseball and understanding strike from ball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “When he gets impatient, gets out of the strike zone, it goes the other way. But when he’s stubborn in the strike zone, he’s as good as anybody and I think right now he’s seeing it really well, trying to square it up, not trying to do too much. And as a result, he’s taking walks and hitting the ball hard. And he’s getting rewarded. This is as locked in as I’ve seen him from spring training to right now.”

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Dodgers’ road trip ends with loss in Colorado Grandal brushes off any suggestion that impending free agency has motivated him, telling reporters “I think you guys think about it more than I do, to tell you the truth.”

That might be the height of disingenuousness. Every player is more aware of his own earning power than he wants to let on and Roberts acknowledged that impending free agency is “a big time for a player.”

That can light a fire under a player in one of two ways.

“I think this is sort of as comfortable as he’s ever been here in terms of his importance to the team and leadership in the clubhouse,” Zaidi said of Grandal’s hot start. “Look, it does (motivate players heading into free agency). You kind of hear both sides, right? You hear that it’s a motivator. Sometimes you hear it’s a distraction. Every team likes to hear the motivator story because it means the guy is playing well.”

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