Dodgers Analysis: What Will the Postseason Roster Look Like?
As the Dodgers approach the last weekend of the regular season, they have two days to determine their roster for October.
PHOENIX, AZ—It’s hard to believe, but postseason baseball is just around the corner, and unlike seasons prior, the Los Angeles Dodgers will have to gear up for a short three-game Wild Card Series on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.
However, like much of the season, the team has battled multiple injuries, and that is no different as they head into October with multiple arms and positional players either banged up or on the injured list.
While the team awaits the winner of the number six seed in the National League, a battle between the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds, what could the Do’ 26-man roster look like for the first round?
The Position Player Group is Set
One area the Dodgers are set in is the positional player group that will be active for the three-game Wild Card Series.
The trio of MVPs of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman will look to lead the Dodgers to back-to-back titles for the first time in franchise history and in over twenty-five years.
The biggest question for the team is whether All-Star catcher Will Smith will be ready by Tuesday’s Wild Card Game One.
Smith, 30, has been on the 15-day injured list since early September due to a right-hand injury he suffered in Pittsburgh when a foul ball hit the top of his throwing hand.
While Smith avoided the IL and played a game a few days later, the pain and swelling were too much to overcome, forcing the team to place him on the IL.
Smith had an extra round of scans done, which revealed that Smith’s right hand had a microfracture, and he would likely be doubtful for the first round of the postseason.
There is a possibility that the Dodgers could activate Smith and run with three catchers, but given the risk of his injury worsening and potentially missing the next round, it is too great a risk.
The next question is who will get the final bench spot on the roster if the Dodgers opt for a traditional 13-13 split. That battle will likely be between Alex Call and Hyeseong Kim, both of whom have seen their playing time diminish over the last month of the season.
Despite Kim putting together a solid first season in Dodger Blue, hitting. With a .280/.315/.369 batting line in sixty-nine games this season, the left-handed hitter has struggled, posting a .105 average in September and a -25 wRC+ in the second half.
So, unfortunately for HyeseongKimMuse, the Dodgers will likely keep him off the roster.
My prediction:
Catchers (2): Ben Rortvedt, Dalton Rushing
Infielders (3): Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy
Outfielders (4): Teoscar Hernández, Michael Conforto, Alex Call, Andy Pages
Utility (3): Kiké Hernández, Miguel Rojas, Tommy Edman
Designated Hitter (1): Shohei Ohtani
The Starting Rotation is Their Strength, but Their Bullpen Tells a Different Story
How the Dodgers and manager Dave Roberts manage the pitching staff will be at the forefront of everyone’s minds entering October this season.
What was once a strength just a season ago is now a massive issue, and the Dodgers’ bullpen over the final two months has put the Dodgers at a disadvantage, forcing them to play in a three-game series rather than skipping it with a first-round bye.
The bullpens play (or lack thereof) will force the Dodgers to get creative and depend on their deep starting rotation for additional depth.
With most of the postseason only needing three starters, expect the Dodgers to place their backend starters into the bullpen, a process we’ve already seen with veteran lefty Clayton Kershaw and young right-hander Emmet Sheehan.
Other arms like Brock Stewart (season-ending shoulder surgery) and Kirby Yates (hamstring injury) will not be on the postseason roster this October, and the emergence of Roki Sasaki and Will Klein has seemingly stepped up in their place.
Regardless of how the Dodgers align their starting rotation for the first two games of the series, it’ll be interesting to see how deep Roberts lets his starters go and who he uses in high-leverage spots.
Ohtani’s two-way player status gives the team a unique advantage that they had in the regular season, which provides them with an extra pitcher without needing to waste a spot on it.
Still, I think what we’re seeing now is how the roster will likely shake out.
My prediction:
Starters (3): Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Relievers (11): Emmet Sheehan, Clayton Kershaw, Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda, Roki Sasaki, Jack Dreyer, Justin Worbleski, Will Klein, Blake Treinen, Tyler Glasnow
The wild card in this instance is Edgardo Henriquez or Will Klein, but I’m going with recency Bias, and Klein has looked fantastic since being recalled for the injured Michael Kopech.
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