47 minutes ago
3
Entering the final week of the regular season, the Dodgers more or less know their postseason fate.
They’ve locked up the National League West. They are a seemingly safe four games clear of the Atlanta Braves for a first-round bye. And, unless they can close a two-game gap on the Milwaukee Brewers without holding the tiebreaker, they will finish as the NL’s No. 2 seed, getting home-field advantage at least for the NL Division Series.
Thus, the real intrigue for now is who might be on the Dodgers’ postseason roster when the playoffs begin next month.
This year, injuries and fluctuating performances have forced them to cycle 53 different players through their clubhouse.
And while the core of the group is clear, many questions remain about how the club will construct its lineup and pitching staff for this fall’s pursuit of a third-straight World Series.
Here is the California Post’s best guess about how it will all shake out.
Lineup locks
Will Smith, Freddie Freeman, Tommy Edman, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages, Kyle Tucker, Shohei Ohtani, Kiké Hernández, Miguel Rojas, Hunter Feduccia
There won’t be any big surprises in how the Dodgers line up to begin the playoffs, assuming Ohtani is healthy enough to resume everyday DH’ing duties.
Teoscar Hernández and Kyle Tucker have cemented their place as everyday hitters thanks to late-season surges. Andy Pages is due back on Tuesday from a fractured hand. Freddie Freeman still seems somewhat limited by his right knee injury, but has nonetheless been able to manage it well enough to this point. And while Tommy Edman has been slumping lately, he doesn’t seem to be in immediate danger of losing at-bats.
On the bench, Hunter Feduccia has locked up the back-up catching job, and could be a left-handed hitting option as a pinch-hitter. Kiké Hernández and Miguel Rojas, meanwhile, each provide versatile defensive depth, as well as extensive track records for postseason heroics when called upon.
Entering the final week of the regular season, the core of the Dodgers’ position player group looks as they expected.
Dodgers Lineup questions
Bubble candidates: Josue De Paula, Dalton Rushing, Alex Call, Alex Freeland, Hyeseong Kim
The Dodgers will still have one, if not two, position player spots to fill depending on how they construct their roster (i.e. an even 13 pitchers/13 hitters, or a 12/14 split like they used last year?)
And for those, they could have a number of difficult decisions.
First and foremost: Will Josue De Paula make the playoff roster?
If he does, it will likely be as a left-handed bench bat; though if there is any lingering uncertainty with Ohtani, he could also provide insurance as a backup DH option. His main competition right now figures to be Alex Call (who might be redundant to Rojas and Hernández as a right-handed bench bat) or Dalton Rushing (who is an intriguing alternative as a left-handed bat, but remains sidelined from the setback he suffered with his elbow injury earlier this month).
In just 10 MLB games, De Paula has quickly built a strong case, showing supreme plate discipline (10 walks to only four strikeouts) and the potential for power (three doubles, one home run, seven RBIs). At this point, it might be more of a surprise if he doesn’t make it.
If the Dodgers elect to carry an extra position player on top of that, the choices are even more varied.
Last year, they rostered two base-running/defensive specialists throughout the playoffs in infielder Hyeseong Kim and outfielder Justin Dean. Dean is now gone, and Hernández could serve as a late-game defensive outfield replacement anyway. But Kim remains in consideration, manager Dave Roberts said, thanks to his speed and infield glove. Alex Freeland could also factor in here, as someone capable of providing more at the plate.
Lineup projection for Los Angeles
C: Will Smith
1B: Freddie Freeman
2B: Tommy Edman
SS: Mookie Betts
3B: Max Muncy
LF: Teoscar Hernández
CF: Andy Pages
RF: Kyle Tucker
DH: Shohei Ohtani
Bench: Kiké Hernández, Miguel Rojas, Hunter Feduccia, Josue De Paula, Hyeseong Kim*
*If the Dodgers carry 14 position players
Dodgers pitching staff locks
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips
The Dodgers’ starting rotation is set, assuming no further setbacks with Blake Snell’s groin injury. The back end of the bullpen has come into focus, too, with Tanner Scott and/or Roki Sasaki the most logical candidates to serve as closer, and Alex Vesia and Evan Phillips separating themselves as the team’s next most-trusted high-leverage relief options.
The only real question here is how the Dodgers will line up the rotation. Yamamoto-Skubal would make sense for Games 1 and 2 of a division series (keeping them both on-line for a potential Game 5). But could Tyler Glasnow’s potential issues with traveling tempt the Dodgers to use him primarily at home, if they can? All factors to consider in the coming weeks.
Pitching staff questions
Roster bubble candidates: Brock Stewart, Edwin Díaz, Blake Treinen, Kris Bubic, Jack Dreyer, Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski, Edgardo Henriquez, Will Klein, Eric Lauer
The first thing the Dodgers need to figure out here is health.
Edgardo Henriquez will almost certainly be on the playoff roster, and pitching in a high-leverage role, if he can make a full recovery from his recent back strain. Will Klein and Eric Lauer might also be available health-wise, though lack clear roles to step immediately back into.
Otherwise, the Dodgers will effectively have at least four open spots for six to seven other pitchers.
For added right-handed depth, they might be deciding between Brock Stewart (who has been a go-to weapon against right-handed hitters recently), Edwin Díaz (who is trying to salvage his dismal debut season, and did throw a pair of scoreless outings this weekend) and Blake Treinen (who has curiously pitched only five times in three weeks since being activated from the injured list, and not in the highest of leverage).
For another left-handed option, they could go with Kris Bubic (the trade deadline acquisition who has impressed with three scoreless appearances since returning from an injury) or Jack Dreyer (who was one of the Dodgers’ best relievers from June to August, but has given up five runs in his last seven outings).
And for a multi-inning role, they will have Emmet Sheehan (who has looked like a different pitcher in three sterling starts since returning from a minor-league demotion) and Justin Wrobleski (the breakout All-Star who has finally shaken some of his home run problems since moving to the bullpen).
There are many permutations that the Dodgers could employ depending on opponent. They’re still figuring out the exact hierarchy of all their bullpen arms, too.
But as long as their rotation is dominant, everything else should take care of itself.
Pitching staff projection
Rotation: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow
Bullpen: Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Brock Stewart, Kris Bubic, Edwin Díaz, Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski
English (US)