Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts missed the team’s Sunday game against the Chicago White Sox to attend his daughter’s college graduation in California. Roberts traveled back on Saturday night to be present for Elle Roberts’ ceremony at Stanford University, marking the final of four graduations in his family.

Bench coach Danny Lehmann assumed managerial duties for the Dodgers during Roberts’ absence. Speaking prior to the weekend games, Roberts reflected on the milestone, noting that he had attended two high school and two college graduations for his children. “I can’t believe it. I shaved today to take away all the grays so I don’t look old,” he said, adding that he was feeling “a day older” amid the milestone celebrations.

Roberts also highlighted the changing culture in professional baseball around family commitments. In the past, he said, it would have been unusual or even frowned upon for a manager to miss a game for personal reasons. Now, Roberts encourages his staff to prioritize family and mental health without worrying about professional judgment.

“I think that’s one of the good things about the way the world has evolved, to where you do some things for mental health or your family, and it’s not frowned upon that you care less about your job,” Roberts said. “That should be applicable to everyone. It’s good to feel like I can go, and I don’t feel like I’m being judged because I’m going to celebrate my daughter.”

Travel arrangements were eased by a late afternoon start to Saturday’s game, giving Roberts time to leave immediately after the Dodgers’ victory, highlighted by Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s near-perfect game and no-hitter. Roberts quickly left the ballpark to catch a flight to California for the graduation.

Roberts noted that family-related absences and paternity leave have become increasingly common in baseball, reflecting broader societal changes regarding work-life balance. “You see it all around baseball,” he said. “People are doing things for their family, and paternity leave, things like that. It’s healthy.”