The Los Angeles Dodgers officially announced their roster for the National League Division Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, carrying 13 position players and 12 pitchers. It’s a change from 14 position players and 11 pitchers, which was their breakdown for the NLDS in 2013, 2015 and 2016.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday the 25th spot was between an extra bench player or reliever. That appears to have gone in favor of a pitcher, as Tim Locastro was not included. The Dodgers do, however, have a third catcher in Kyle Farmer.
Another uncertainty, until Thursday at least, was whether the Dodgers would opt for Hyun-Jin Ryu or Alex Wood as their fourth starter. The decision was made to include Wood in the rotation, and because of Ryu lacking comfort in pitching out of the bullpen, he was left off the playoff roster.
Although Roberts continues to insist Wood will start if the NLDS reaches a Game 4, skeptics remain of the belief Clayton Kershaw would somehow find his way into the game.
A complete breakdown of the Dodgers’ NLDS roster included below. Players are listed alphabetically in each position group.
Starting pitchers (4):: Yu Darvish, Rich Hill, Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood
Relief pitchers (8): Pedro Baez, Tony Cingrani, Josh Fields, Kenley Jansen, Kenta Maeda Brandon Morrow, Ross Stripling, Tony Watson
Catchers (3): Austin Barnes, Kyle Farmer, Yasmani Grandal
Infielders (5): Cody Bellinger, Logan Forsythe, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Chase Utley
Outfielders (5): Andre Ethier, Curtis Granderson, Kiké Hernandez, Yasiel Puig, Chris Taylor
After shutting down Adrian Gonzalez for the final few games of the regular season and playoffs, Roberts indicated the Dodgers were deciding between Andre Ethier and Joc Pederson as their left-handed hitter off the bench. Just like last season, Ethier makes the playoff roster despite missing the first five months.
Although Gonzalez is not active, he’s among the players who will taxi with the Dodgers — remain with the team, including travel, and go through workouts during the NLDS.
While Pedro Baez struggled through much of September, he closed out the regular season with 4.1 scoreless innings over four appearances. Roberts said this week he was “definitely confident” Baez had rectified what plagued him.
