With the Wild Card Round officially in the rearview, fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers have been waiting with bated breath to see who will and won't make the 26-man NLDS roster for the forthcoming series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
After making a few eyebrow-raising decisions against the Cincinnati Reds, including Justin Dean earning the nod over Michael Conforto and Jack Dreyer landing a roster spot over Anthony Banda, will the Dodgers further reformat their plans for the forthcoming series, sending a player like Hyeseong Kim to the bench in favor of more playoff-ready options?
Well, while the roster hasn't been announced just yet, Dave Roberts has let it be known that one pitcher who has unquestionably earned a spot on the roster is Clayton Kershaw, who will be available out of the bullpen against the Phillies, as reported by AM 570 LA Sports' Davis Vassegh.
“Dave Roberts said Tyler Glasnow will be available in relief tomorrow,” Vassegh wrote. “Also, Clayton Kershaw will be part of bullpen in NLDS.”
Now granted, the decision to keep Kershaw off the Wild Card Round roster wasn't particularly surprising, as he earned his final regular season start in Game 162 and, as a result, needed a few days to get his body right before he could return to the mound. When Game 1 against the Phillies begins, Kershaw will be on six days rest and will thus be able to go out of the bullpen like he did on September 24 in Arizona, when he threw the ninth inning against the Diamondbacks on the way to an overtime victory.
It's also not surprising to learn that Tyler Glasnow will be available to pitch in relief in Game 1, as he would theoretically be the team's Game 4 starter if the series goes that long against the Phillies and thus would be a prime candidate to see action against Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and company when Shohei Ohtani's night comes to an end.
How will Kershaw look for the Dodgers as a relief option? Will he go one inning? Multiple? And how many days of rest will he need between games? While this is largely uncharted territory for the Dodgers, one thing is clear: Kershaw is retired yet and will do what he can to add another ring to his trophy case before riding off into the sunset.
