Dodgers Interview: Tanner Scott on Being in Limbo this Postseason
TORONTO — Tanner Scott hasn’t thrown a pitch this postseason, but his answers on Media Day sounded like a reliever inching closer to the door. The lefty, in his first year with the Dodgers, kept things simple and upbeat. He came to win. He wants in. And for a bullpen that has steadied itself in October, his return would add another late-inning option from the left side.
Asked why he chose Los Angeles back in the winter, Scott didn’t dress it up: “When I signed, I wanted to win and we’re in the World Series, so it’s pretty fun.” The smile in that line was implied. He’s where he intended to be, even if the route included a detour.
On the obvious question—health—he gave a clear update. “I feel good,” he said, then admitted that the days in Philadelphia were rough: “The time in Philly was kind of miserable, but I’m healthy now and just see where it takes me.” That was as far as he would go about roster status. The subtext was that he’s pushing to be available, and he sounded confident in how his body responded.
Scott lit up when the bullpen came up. He called the relief corps “a small family inside of a big family,” and said “for everyone to be successful is really fun to watch and see.” He added that you “always cheer on your family members,” a neat, simple way to describe the vibe in a room that rides daily stress and short leashes. The Dodgers have leaned on that group in tight games, and the lefty’s phrasing told you he feels part of it even while sidelined.
Seeing this club from the other dugout last year gave him context for what he joined. “On the other side you see them as a really good team,” he said. “Then you join them and you still see the really good team.” He didn’t stop there. “Our lineup’s unreal,” he said. “Our starting staff is insane. Our bullpen’s good and it’s fun to be a part of every game because even if we’re down, you’re never out of it.” That’s a catcher’s cliché when it comes from behind the plate; from a reliever, it sounds more like belief in the layers in front of him.
The most important piece, of course, is whether he’s truly ready. Scott’s answer was brief but firm: “Yeah, for sure.” He followed with a quick “Thank you” when told the interviewer was glad he’s feeling better, the sort of exchange that suggests the daily checkpoint conversations have been positive.
Scott didn’t pitch around what the World Series stage means for a first-year Dodger who picked Los Angeles to chase hardware. The answer he gave at the start still covers it: “I wanted to win.” Everything else—the rehab, the travel, the dugout view of the bullpen stringing zeroes—flows from that. If his name lands on the roster card, the role will be straightforward: get lefties, handle traffic, pass the baton.
For now, the picture is easy to read. A healthy arm, a bullpen that has settled, and a veteran left-hander who sounded ready to grab the phone when it rings. “I feel good,” Scott said, and the rest of his words matched the tone: family inside the bullpen, trust in the roster, and a team he still describes as “really good” from both sides of the line.
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