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With Game 1 of the NLCS versus the Milwaukee Brewers starting on Monday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers will have some real decisions to make.
The seven game construction of this series likely will necessitate adding an additional pitcher. This could be a simple one-for-one swapping of a position player for a reliever given the fact Shohei Ohtani moonlights as both.
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Manager Dave Roberts addressed this situation on Saturday during a virtual press conference with the media. He admitted that changes will be coming.
There’s some interesting speculation as to what these changes will be. With Tanner Scott unavailable for the NLCS, the team could simply continue with their decision to include Justin Wrobleski as a replacement. However, with the inordinate amount of left-handed pitchers already on the roster, could the team drop Wrobleski and another position player in favoring of doubling up on right-handed relievers?
If Wrobleski stays, one position player still figures to be dropped. It likely comes from a group including Ben Rortvedt, Dalton Rushing, Hyeseong Kim, or Justin Dean. One of the catchers may be left off with Will Smith seemingly healthy to resume his role as the team’s everyday catcher.
Rortvedt is the clear choice as a defensive option — though Rushing provides real power and pop off the bench as a left-handed bat. There’s also a chance all three could still be on the roster with Rushing primarily being earmarked as a pinch hitter.
When it comes to Kim and Dean, both give the Dodgers fast, defensive-minded athletes. Dean has been featuring as the centerfield defensive sub quite often throughout the playoffs. Kim scored the noteworthy run to beat the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS.
Of the two, Kim is the more accomplished hitter — though Dean has been playing more thus far throughout the postseason. Having both with the speed each brings to the table as possible base-stealing threats late in games seems ideal.
The decision on the addition of another pitcher will also be something to watch. It’s almost certainly guaranteed to be a right-handed arm — with the likes of Edgardo Henriquez, Kyle Hurt, and Ben Casparius waiting in the wings as possible options.
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Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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