Reds-Dodgers position-by-position breakdown

The reigning World Series champion Dodgers are back in the playoffs for a 13th straight season and ready to start their title defense. Their opponent in the first round? The upstart Reds, who are in the postseason for the first time since 2020 and didn't clinch their playoff spot until the final day of the regular season.

The Dodgers are the No. 3 seed in the National League and will host the Reds, the No. 6 seed, in each game of the best-of-three Wild Card Series at Dodger Stadium. Game 1 is set for Tuesday at 9:08 p.m. ET/6:08 p.m. PT.

Los Angeles will once again be powered by its superstar trio of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts. But the Reds have a pair of exciting young stars in Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene leading the way. And even though the Dodgers are a juggernaut that just won their division for the 12th time in those last 13 years, and the Reds snuck into the playoffs on a tiebreaker over the Mets (and only after the Mets lost in Game 162), anything can happen in a three-game series.

So, who has the edge: the Dodgers or the Reds? Here's how the two teams match up, position by position.

Catcher
If Will Smith plays, this is a big edge for the Dodgers. But Smith is a question mark for the Wild Card Series due to a hairline fracture in his right hand. The latest news is that Smith came out "fine" after taking swings in the batting cage on Sunday, but he'll need to take live at-bats on Monday even to be considered for the Dodgers' Wild Card Series roster. And if Smith doesn't play, then the Dodgers are going into this series with Ben Rortvedt and his .152 batting average at catcher. The Reds' duo of Tyler Stephenson (13 home runs) and Jose Trevino doesn't stack up to Smith, but if Smith is out or not at full strength, Cincinnati will have the better backstop.

Advantage: Reds (unless Smith plays)

First base
For Cincinnati, Spencer Steer has some pop (21 home runs), and top prospect Sal Stewart is an interesting option who has gotten playing time at first base down the stretch. But neither one of those players is Freddie Freeman. Last year's World Series MVP is at it again in 2025 (.294 average, 23 homers, 140 OPS+). Freeman will be one of the toughest outs for the Reds.

Advantage: Dodgers

Second base
Neither team has a huge standout at second base. Veteran Miguel Rojas has been solid enough for the Dodgers, and utility man Tommy Edman has proven he can impact a playoff series -- he was last year's NLCS MVP and great in the World Series, too -- but he's had career-worst offensive numbers this season. For the Reds, Matt McLain hasn't been able to recapture his 2023 rookie performance after missing all of last year due to a shoulder injury, but he is at least a power-speed threat (15 home runs, 18 stolen bases in 2025) who's also a valuable fielder.

Advantage: Reds

Third base
Max Muncy is expected to be ready to go for the Wild Card Series after missing the last four games of the regular season due to lower-body soreness, and that's a key bat the Dodgers will have back in the lineup. The 35-year-old Muncy still has good pop (19 homers in 100 games this season) and great plate discipline. Ke'Bryan Hayes will have a tough time replicating Muncy's production at the plate for the Reds, but he's been the best defensive third baseman in baseball this year and one of the best fielders at any position. Hayes might make a game-changing web gem, but Muncy has been through two World Series title runs with the Dodgers and has had plenty of big swings over the years (13 career playoff home runs).

Advantage: Dodgers

Shortstop
This is the most notable position battle of the series: Mookie Betts vs. Elly De La Cruz. If we were breaking down this matchup at the All-Star break, it would've been a landslide for De La Cruz -- he was looking like one of the most dynamic players in the game, while Betts was having his worst start to a season ever. But now, the script has flipped. Betts has looked like his old self over the last two months (.317 batting average, .892 OPS, nine home runs since Aug. 5), while De La Cruz has slumped (18 homers, 25 steals, .854 OPS in the first half compared to three homers, 12 steals and a .657 OPS in the second half). Plus, despite De La Cruz's ability to make highlight-reel plays at short, Betts has been much more sure-handed, with De La Cruz leading the Majors with 26 errors. We're excited to see what De La Cruz can do in his first career postseason, but Betts is playing better right now and he has the track record, including in October (.951 OPS, four home runs in last year's playoffs).

Advantage: Dodgers

Left field
The Dodgers are relatively weak here, with Michael Conforto batting below the Mendoza Line in the regular season (.199 average) and Alex Call not the biggest impact player since coming over in a Trade Deadline deal with the Nationals (.717 OPS in 38 games with Los Angeles). The Reds have Austin Hays, who returned from back spasms for Game 162 and has been one of Cincinnati's better hitters this year (15 home runs, 105 OPS+). That's not earth-shattering production, but it's more than what the Dodgers have been getting from their left fielders.

Advantage: Reds

Center field
Andy Pages has a lot of stars overshadowing him in L.A., but he's had a really good year for the Dodgers, with 27 home runs, 14 stolen bases and a 114 OPS+ while playing some of the best outfield defense in the Majors. TJ Friedl (14 homers, 12 steals) is a solid hitter but lacks Pages' all-around impact.

Advantage: Dodgers

Right field
Teoscar Hernández hasn't put up quite the numbers this year that he did in his All-Star 2024 debut for the Dodgers, but he still smacked 25 home runs this season and had 89 RBIs. The Reds have a talented young right fielder in 23-year-old Noelvi Marte (14 home runs, 10 stolen bases in 90 games this season), but he's not the proven slugger in the corner outfield that Teoscar is.

Advantage: Dodgers

Designated hitter
The Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani. The Reds don't have Shohei Ohtani. Cincinnati could deploy former Dodger Gavin Lux or the resurgent Miguel Andujar (.318 batting average and .822 OPS this season, including a .359 average and .944 OPS in 34 games since joining the Reds). Either way, it's not close to the MVP favorite Ohtani and his 55-homer bat.

Advantage: Dodgers

Starting pitching
The Reds' rotation is a huge strength and would give them the edge against most teams. They have an electric flamethrowing ace in Hunter Greene (2.76 ERA, 132 strikeouts in 107 2/3 innings) and two strong lefties behind him in Andrew Abbott (2.87 ERA, 149 K's) and Nick Lodolo (3.30 ERA, 156 K's). But they're facing the Dodgers, and the Dodgers' starting rotation is every bit as dominant. There's Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who emerged as a Cy Young-caliber pitcher this year with a 2.49 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 30 starts. There's Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner who was limited to 11 starts this season but has a 2.35 ERA and 10.6 K/9. And, waiting in the wings, there's Ohtani, the two-way superstar who just posted a 2.87 ERA and 11.9 K/9 in 14 starts in his return to pitching. You couldn't go wrong with either rotation in this series, but we're leaning toward the champs.

Advantage: Dodgers

Bullpen
The bullpen battle here is a particularly interesting one. The Dodgers' bullpen was extremely shaky down the stretch -- but it also might be better than you think in October. Why? Because reinforcements are coming … from the starting rotation. Emmet Sheehan, Tyler Glasnow and a rejuvenated Roki Sasaki could all pitch out of the bullpen in the Wild Card Series, and that could make a big difference while veteran relievers like Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen look to right the ship. Now, will that Frankenstein Dodgers bullpen be able to outperform Cincinnati's? The Reds' bullpen doesn't have as big names as the Dodgers, but their key relievers have gotten a lot of big outs down the stretch, from closer Emilio Pagán (32 saves, 2.88 ERA this season) to setup man Tony Santillan (2.44 ERA in an MLB-high 80 appearances) to, more recently, rookie phenom Chase Burns. This is a tough one, but we think the Los Angeles bullpen, thanks to the creativity it might display, could become a strength again this October, just as it was in 2024.

Advantage: Dodgers

Prediction
The Reds' pitching might keep them in this series, but for a young team without playoff experience, it's going to be a tall task to go into Dodger Stadium and take this series from the World Series champs. The Dodgers went 52-29 at home this year, the Reds went 38-43 on the road, and the Dodgers won five of their six games against the Reds, including a sweep in Los Angeles in August. Yes, anything can happen in a short series, but the Dodgers are the better team and their star power should carry them here. Ohtani, Betts, Freeman & Co. move on.

Dodgers in 2