The Dodgers don’t but know whether or not they’ll be heading to Milwaukee to face the Brewers or welcoming the Cubs into Dodger Stadium for Monday’s collection opener of the NLCS, however that’s not stopping them from planning for the collection. Specifically, supervisor Dave Roberts advised reporters (together with MLB.com’s Sonja Chen) this afternoon that he expects the membership to hold a minimum of yet another pitcher on their roster for the upcoming collection after carrying 11 (plus Shohei Ohtani) within the NLDS in opposition to the Phillies.
That can consequently imply shortening up a bench that was six gamers deep throughout this previous collection. Invoice Plunkett of the Orange County Register means that utility man Hyeseong Kim and outfielder Justin Dean are the most certainly candidates to be left off the NLCS roster. Kim, 26, has a wRC+ of 95 in 71 common seasons video games this 12 months in his rookie marketing campaign after signing with the Dodgers out of South Korea in the course of the offseason. He’s primarily performed second base this 12 months however has additionally made cameos at shortstop and in middle area. Dean, in the meantime, has simply two plate appearances within the majors this 12 months as he’s been used nearly solely as a pinch runner by Los Angeles. He does have a stolen base this postseason, nonetheless, whereas Kim has made simply look up to now throughout L.A.’s two collection.
Alex Name, Ben Rortvedt, and Miguel Rojas have all drawn begins within the playoffs already and appear prone to as soon as once more be elements of the bench combine headed into the NLCS. Dalton Speeding has seen nearly no enjoying time up to now, however could be wanted insurance coverage for the Dodgers on the catcher place provided that Will Smith is enjoying via a hairline fracture in his throwing hand. Retaining Speeding on the roster would imply that the Dodgers can have two catchers accessible even when Smith wants a sport or two off sooner or later to handle the damage. With no three-catcher setup, a day or two off for Smith would doubtless necessitate a placement on the injured record, which might then make him unavailable for the World Collection if the Dodgers have been to advance.
One participant that undoubtedly gained’t be faraway from the roster, it appears, is utility man Enrique Hernandez. Hernandez has served because the membership’s beginning left fielder this postseason and, whereas he’s recognized to have been nursing a day-to-day again damage because the Wild Card collection in opposition to Cincinnati, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic relays that Hernandez is doing effective regardless of that damage and that the times off between the top of the NLDS and the beginning of the NLCS ought to assist him get wholesome. Hernandez has lengthy been wonderful within the postseason and that hasn’t modified this 12 months, with a .318/.400/.409 slash line (132 wRC+) throughout 25 plate appearances.
Turning again to the rotation, Roberts indicated to reporters (together with Chen) that regardless of each Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto needing additional relaxation in-built between their begins, he doesn’t anticipate the Dodgers needing greater than 4 starters for his or her upcoming seven sport set. That quartet figures to be the aforementioned duo of Ohtani and Yamamoto, plus Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. Clayton Kershaw and Emmet Sheehan have each been accessible to offer size out of the bullpen up to now, and headed into the NLCS it’s doable somebody like Ben Casparius or Andrew Heaney is added to the playoff roster to present the workforce one other lengthy aid choice.
