Dodgers keeping Emmet Sheehan, Kyle Hurt on taxi warns of possible NLCS shakeup

The Los Angeles Dodgers are preparing for their National League Championship Series rematch with the Milwaukee Brewers, and as the format shifts from five to seven games, don't be surprised to see a few minor shakeups before the first pitch of Game 1 on Sunday evening.

It's been reported that the Dodgers have recalled both Emmet Sheehan and Kyle Hurt from Triple-A Oklahoma City. That doesn't necessarily mean that one or both players will be part of Los Angeles' NLCS roster, but it certainly seems like something is bound to change.

Both right-handers were not part of LA's NLDS roster, and based on the results — a 3-1 series victory over the Atlanta Braves — their skills were not needed. That may not be the case, however, in a best-of-seven series and trip to the World Series on the line.

The Dodgers opted to carry 14 position players and just 12 pitchers — four starters and eight relievers during their series against — during their series against the Braves. Those numbers could be inverted, or at the very least leveled out heading into the NLCS.

The starting rotation of Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow should remain intact, but adding one of Sheehan or Hurt (or both) to the relief corps would give LA that extra arm that they're likely to need against the Brewers.

Don't be shocked if both Sheehan and Hurt are part of the Dodgers' NLCS roster, meaning that perhaps Brock Stewart would be left off heading into the series opener on Sunday in Milwaukee.

How will the Dodgers NLCS roster shake out if Emmett Sheehan, Kyle Hurt are added?

But if the Dodgers carry 13 pitchers, it'll require them to subtract one of the 14 position players from the roster as well. Miguel Rojas suffered a low back and hip injury during Game 3 of the NLDS, and his status for the next series is still up in the air.

If Rojas is unable to go, that makes the Dodgers' decision easy. If Rojas is cleared to play, however, it likely comes down to a choice between Hyeseong Kim — who didn't take the field during the NLDS against the Braves — or rookie outfielder Josue De Paula.

Dodgers fans will have their questions answered soon enough, but the choice itself isn't an easy one. Every single player in their dugout matters, and this isn't a decision Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers' braintrust can take lightly.

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