LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers set their 26-man roster for the NL Division Series ahead of Game 1 on Saturday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. Notably, the team's top prospect Josue De Paula made the cut as the primary lefty bat off the bench and righty reliever Edgardo Henriquez was included after ending the regular season on the injured list.
L.A. opted to carry 14 position players and 12 pitchers, giving the team an extra spot on the bench for Hyeseong Kim, who will be used as a pinch-runner and possible late-game defensive replacement.
De Paula, MLB Pipeline's No. 4 overall prospect, impressed in his first stint in the Majors last month, hitting 10-for-31 (.323) with five extra-base hits and reaching base in half of his 42 plate appearances while mostly filling in for the injured Shohei Ohtani at DH. The 11-game sample was enough to convince the Dodgers that he would be able to handle pinch-hitting in big moments in the postseason.
"Obviously, we think incredibly highly of him," president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “And to see the calmness in his at-bats … the impact -- just felt like as a bullet off the bench in big situations, just being able to trust the pulse and the ability.”
Henriquez, who recorded a 2.85 ERA in 61 appearances and became one of the Dodgers' most trusted leverage arms this season, was sidelined with a lower back strain in mid-September. He was a full participant in the team's bye week workouts, clearing him to return to action for the postseason.
Although the Braves' offense has performed worse against left-handers this season, the Dodgers do not have a balanced bullpen, carrying five righties and three lefties. Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia and Kris Bubic made up the left-handed side of the 'pen, while Jack Dreyer and Justin Wrobleski did not make the roster.
Here's the full roster:
Catchers (2): Will Smith, Hunter Feduccia
First baseman (1): Freddie Freeman
Second baseman (1): Tommy Edman
Shortstop (1): Mookie Betts
Third baseman (1): Max Muncy
Outfielders (3): Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages, Kyle Tucker
Utility/bench (4): Kiké Hernández, Miguel Rojas, Josue De Paula, Hyeseong Kim
Two-way player (1): Shohei Ohtani
Starters (4): Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow
Relievers (8): Tanner Scott, Edwin Díaz, Edgardo Henriquez, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Roki Sasaki, Kris Bubic, Brock Stewart