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Dodgers News: Edwin Rios Left Off NLDS Roster Due To Groin Injury

Matthew Moreno
3 Min Read
Isaiah J. Downing/USA TODAY Sports

When the Los Angeles Dodgers set their postseason roster for the Wild Card Series, it featured only 13 pitchers for the best-of-three matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Dodgers predictably increased that to 14 for the National League Division Series.

As manager Dave Roberts indicated would be the case, Dylan Floro was added to the active roster for the best-of-five series with the San Diego Padres. It came at the expense of Keibert Ruiz as a third catcher, as the Dodgers elected to continue carrying Terrance Gore.

However, L.A. also made a change with position players, replacing Edwin Rios with Gavin Lux. The decision came across as curious for multiple reasons. Primarily that Lux never quite found his footing this season and wasn’t active for the Wild Card round.

Rios tweaked his left groin on a fielding drill during a workout at Globe Life Field on Sunday. “He was taking some ground balls and made a play to his right, threw the ball to first base and tweaked his groin a little bit,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed.

“Obviously significant enough for us not to include him on this active roster. It’s better today than it was yesterday, so hopefully he’ll just continue to improve. As we get through this series, hopefully he’ll be available for the next one.”

Despite the Dodgers facing left-hander Brent Suter, Rios started as the designated hitter in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series for his postseason debut. He went 0-for-3 with a walk and strikeout, and didn’t appear in Game 2.

Rios earned a spot on the playoff roster behind not only a power swing at the plate but improved defense as well. He played six games (five starts) at first base and otherwise spent time at third base (21 games; 14 starts).

Roberts said Max Muncy would be the primary candidate to play third base in any scenario that required Justin Turner to be removed from an NLDS game. The domino effect would entail using Matt Beaty at first base or having Cody Bellinger come in from center field.

“Hopefully it doesn’t get to that point,” Roberts added.

Dodgers taxi squad for NLDS

Although Rios is essentially ruled out for the NLDS, he is among 12 players on the Dodgers taxi squad for the series.

He’s accompanied by Scott Alexander, Rocky Gale, Josiah Gray, Zach McKinstry, DJ Peters, Luke Raley, Ruiz, Dennis Santana, Josh Sborz, Mitch White and Alex Wood.

An injured player can be replaced on the active roster but he would become ineligible for that series and the next round, if applicable.

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Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com