LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers have decided to adhere to the rules of Major League Baseball, and as such on Saturday have submitted a roster for their National League Division Series matchup against the San Diego Padres.
Notable on the roster are a pair of rookies who started their seasons in the minor leagues, in outfielder Andy Pages and reliever Edgardo Henriquez. Also notable is Joe Kelly left off the roster.
There aren’t too many other surprises on the roster, with the mix of position players and pitchers the main decision. The Dodgers opted for 13 pitchers and 13 position players, which was their split for the entirety of the 26-player roster portion of the regular season.
The Dodgers ended said regular season with 13 active pitchers on the roster, and given the recent transactions there were only a few options to pick anyone else.
Ben Casparius was optioned on September 28, and Justin Wrobleski was optioned on September 29. Brusdar Graterol was placed on the injured list on September 26, the same day as Brent Honeywell. The clock did not stop for these moves once the regular season is over. The injured players must be out for at least 15 days, and the only way an optioned pitcher can return before 15 days is to replace a newly injured player, or someone going on some related list like paternity leave or the family emergency list.
Tony Gonsolin pitched in a simulated game on Thursday at Dodger Stadium, but he’s coming back off Tommy John surgery 13 months ago and made only three rehab starts to date. Adding him would require clearing space on the 40-man roster since he’s on the 60-day injured list.
The only other available pitchers on the 40-man roster who weren’t active on September 29 were Zach Logue (first day eligible to return from option is Saturday), Bobby Miller (who had the worst ERA ever of any Dodgers pitcher with 10 starts in a season), and Michael Grove, who was optioned on September 18.
Grove got the call, after a 5.12 ERA and 3.62 xERA in 51 innings in the majors this season. Fourteen of his 39 appearances lasted at least five outs, and he topped out at three innings, twice.
Kelly was left off after an up-and-down season that saw him post a 4.78 ERA and 5.07 xERA. Kelly tweaked something in his shoulder during a simulated game in the last week.
Henriquez began his season in Low-A Rancho Cucamonga before pitching at all four minor league affiliates before making his major league debut in the final week of the regular season. Henriquez topped out at 103.8 mph in this season, the second-highest fastball velocity in all of the minors in 2024.
Henriquez allowed a run in 3⅓ innings, struck out five of his 14 batters faced, and even recorded a save in his first taste of the majors. Three major league games to date for the 22-year-old makes Henriquez the least experienced Dodger to make a postseason roster since right-hander Ed Albosta in 1941. Albosta started two games and pitched a total of 13 innings that season before making Brooklyn’s World Series roster, though he did not pitch.
Pages began his season in Triple-A, after shoulder surgery last year. He got a long runway in the Dodgers outfield from mid-April through the end of July. His playing dipped after the trade deadline, when the Dodgers acquired centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier and utility man Tommy Edman, and Pages was optioned to the minors for the final week and a half of August before returning in September.
Over the final two months of the season, Pages hit .276.345/.553 with a 149 wRC+, making the most of limited playing time down the stretch.
“Poise, preparation, good at-bats, the mindset of being ready when called upon,” manager Dave Roberts said during the final week of the regular season. “This has been a good experience for Andy. This whole year has been great for him. And even this kind of playoff vibe atmosphere. It’s good.”
Not on the roster is the veteran Kiermaier, who started only three of the Dodgers’ final 25 games, and was used mostly as a late-inning defensive replacement in centerfield. Kiermaier dislocated the ring finger on his left hand in the penultimate game of the regular season, on September 28 at Coors Field.
The 34-year-old Kiermaier, who plans to retire after this season after patrolling centerfield mostly on turf for 12 years in the majors, hit .197/.237/.313 this season, including .203/.242/.322 with the Dodgers.
Dodgers NLDS roster
- Starting pitchers (4): Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler, Landon Knack
- Right-handed relievers (7): Michael Kopech, Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson, Ryan Brasier, Edgardo Henriquez, Michael Grove
- Left-handed relievers (2): Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda
- Designated hitter (1): Shohei Ohtani
- Catchers (2): Will Smith, Austin Barnes
- Infielders (4): Freddie Freeman, Gavin Lux, Miguel Rojas, Max Muncy
- Outfielders (3): Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages
- Infielder/outfielders (3): Tommy Edman, Kiké Hernández, Chris Taylor