The Los Angeles Dodgers have officially announced the names of those who will fight for a ticket to the Divisional Series, but first they must beat the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card Round. There are 26 players who will defend the title won last year and will seek to play in another World Series.
In a shocking turn of events, two regular players throughout the regular season were dropped from the team. It is important to note that whoever wins the best-of-three series between the Dodgers and Reds will face the Philadelphia Phillies in the Division Series.
Will Smith will be available; Banda and Conforto out
Pitcher Anthony Banda and outfielder Michael Conforto were not on the final roster for manager Dave Roberts. All-Star catcher Will Smith will be available after apparently showing enough during a workout at Dodger Stadium on Monday. The obvious headliners left out are Conforto and Banda.
Conforto’s struggles have been well-documented, as he finished the regular season with a .199 batting average. Some believed he would be on the roster as a guy who could provide occasional pop from the left side as well as the ability to get on base via the walk.
Justin Dean, enlisted for final races with Los Angeles
The Dodgers also decided to go “lighter” in their stable of arms, which was probably based on this being a best-of-three series. Including Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers will have 12 arms available to use. Justin Dean was probably the most shocking inclusion on the team
Despite not having a hit in his Major League career, he will be on this list solely as a defender/pinch runner in the late innings. The same can effectively be said of Alex Call and Hyeseong Kim. Call is a left-handed hitter, and the Reds have two really good left-handed arms in Nick Lodolo and Andrew Abbott.
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