LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 01: Manager Dave Roberts #30 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with teammates on the field after defeating the Cincinnati Reds in Game Two of the National League Wild Card Series at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
MLB Photos via Getty Images
PHILADELPHIA — For Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, there were no shortage of moving parts as he assembled his team’s National League Division Series roster, announced Saturday ahead of Game 1 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Everything from the way the off days fall in this series to the recovery timetables of catcher Will Smith and infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman played a part in both the balance and selections.
The most consequential part of the equation from a Dodgers history perspective is the inclusion of Clayton Kershaw as a left-handed relief option. A pitcher with a 451/4 ratio of games started to games relieved, and 32/7 in the postseason, will not be making a start in the NLDS. However, that is not to say he is considered an unimportant part of the Los Angeles plan.
For Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, there is a clear-eyed acknowledgement of the risks that presents, considering Kershaw hasn’t relieved in the postseason since 2018.
“Yeah, I would say there obviously always is of someone to that stature,” Friedman told reporters prior to Game 1 in Philadelphia Saturday afternoon. “But to Kersh’s credit, he cuts off that timidness in a way by saying, hey, I’m here to win, whatever it takes. He’s loved watching these guys compete. Obviously he’s done really well this year as well.
“Usually, when a guy’s on his way out, it’s like, okay, it’s time; you can kind of see it, the performance really backs up. That’s not the case with Kersh. He was a big part of the success we had this year. But to his credit, he cut it off really early and just said, hey, I just want to be part of this and help this team win, whatever way I can. And so he helped make that conversation way easier.”
Los Angeles, CA – September 19: Starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers warms up in the bullpen prior to a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday, September 19, 2025. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Kershaw is one of five lefties the Dodgers are prepared to throw at a team with no shortage of hitters who can hurt them from that side. Notably, while that is particularly useful against Bryson Stott, it is worth remembering that Bryce Harper has no real platoon split and Kyle Schwarber, incredibly, has become a more effective weapon against lefties than righties two seasons running.
“You learned that you have to make pitches. You’ve got to sequence the right way,” Roberts told reporters on what he expected from that lefty group. “Yeah, I mean, they’re good. And they’re certainly a momentum team, when they get momentum certainly in this ballpark. But you’ve got to make pitches. They’re aggressive early. And I guess it goes both ways because we’ve got some good hitters, too, and we’ve just got to make pitches.”
The addition of both Dalton Rushing and Ben Rortvedt, the three catchers in total (including Smith) leaving Los Angeles with only 12 pitchers may seem like overkill. But while Roberts said Smith is “close” to returning, he pointed out that there will not be a traditional rehab period. October baseball means the kind of reps he’d have gotten in July or August down in the minor leagues recovering from his hand injury need to come, somehow, within the context of the series itself.
“With Will, we just haven’t had the chance to do the buildup as far as the rehab, the catching five innings, the six innings, the seven, let alone the nine innings,” Roberts said. “And he hasn’t caught in four weeks… I’m trying to find a jumping off point that would kind of play the middle, the slice. So there’s a chance that he can come into tonight’s game and kind of get his feet wet a little bit.”
As for Edman, he is on the roster, even starting at second base in Game 1. But concern over his ankle led the Dodgers to roster Hyeseong Kim as well, even though the Phillies are throwing a pair of lefties at Los Angeles in Game 1 and 2 — Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo, respectively.
“I think it’s holding up,” Roberts said of Edman’s ankle. “Not getting any worse. Not getting much better. I feel that having him start taking a few at-bats each night against the starter is a benefit to us. And I’ll kind of keep an eye on him as the game progresses, if we need to get him off his feet to get him ready for the next one.”
The lefty starters also pushed third baseman Max Muncy to the bench, Kiké Hernández handling third instead in Game 1, and Roberts saying pregame that he expects Miguel Rojas to get a start at third base this series as well.
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t plan to use Muncy, though.
“Tonight he’s a silver bullet,” Roberts said. “I can deploy him whenever I want in a leverage spot, which I think is a benefit… I talked to Max before this series and said that we obviously knew what we were coming into, and he is adamant that whatever it takes to help this team win — and there could be a big spot at any point that could change the game.”
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