3 difficult playoff roster decisions Dodgers must make ahead of NLDS

We're just a few days away from Dodgers postseason baseball, and although that very well might strike fear into the hearts of fans who are still replaying last year's NLDS in their heads, LA is still heading into October with the best record in baseball.

However, there's some housekeeping to do. The Dodgers still have to make a couple of tough decisions about who they won't take into a five-game series against the Padres when rosters go back to 26 men.

3 difficult playoff roster decisions Dodgers must make ahead of NLDS

Will the Dodgers shave position players or relievers?

Ahead of Game 1, the Dodgers will have to cut two players from their September 28-man roster back down to 26 before the start of the NLDS, so the biggest question is who will get the push. Andy Pages was briefly pushed off the roster in August with the returns of Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, but he was brought back when rosters expanded again and has been hitting well over his last 30 games (.265 average with a .855 OPS), so he might've fought his way into a indispensable outfield role.

The bullpen might be the obvious place to shave off a few players — Edgardo Henriquez was good over his first 3 2/3 innings after being called up on Sept. 24, but he's brand new to the majors and the Dodgers may not want to take a chance on him in late postseason innings. Joe Kelly also has a 4.50 ERA over his last eight innings in the regular season and hasn't been very good all year, so he could be the second easy cut.

However, it does feel like the Dodgers shouldn't have much faith in their starting rotation. Yoshinobu Yamamoto might not be able to give them length, Walker Buehler had a promising last regular season start but is still unpredictable, and Landon Knack was shaky throughout September. The Dodgers may want to keep as many relievers as they can (the postseason max for pitchers is 13, which is the amount they currently have the roster) if they need to make an earlier than anticipated change.

Right now, our bets are on Henriquez and Kelly, but there are also a couple of bench players who could be at risk. Kevin Kiermaier does have a dislocated finger that kept him off the field on the last day of the season, and Chris Taylor probably doesn't deserve to be there at all.

Will Freddie Freeman, Miguel Rojas, and Kevin Kiermaier be ready?

The Dodgers couldn't get out from under their injury-plagued season right up until the very end. Freeman rolled his ankle on Sept. 26, Rojas didn't play in the Padres' series finale and through the Rockies series with an adductor issue, and Kiermaier dislocated his finger. Although all three have been optimistic about their returns for the NLDS, we've experienced enough positive injury updates followed by shocking bad news this season to last a lifetime.

Freeman and Rojas will both progress to facing live hitting on Friday, per Dave Roberts. There's still no word on Kiermaier, but the Dodgers said when he initially sustained the injury that he'd be day-to-day. Roberts also acknowledged that Freeman's ankle could impact him negatively defensively and on the base paths during games.

They do have a contingency plan if Freeman can't return — putting Max Muncy at first — but they really don't want to go into the NLDS and potentially beyond without him. Despite batting .100 during the DS last year, he's still a .285 career postseason hitter and hit .357 against the Padres in 2022. LA really needs that guy back.

Will Tony Gonsolin return during the postseason?

The Dodgers haven't completely shut the door on Gonsolin's chances of making the postseason roster. He's ahead of schedule, has gone as far as completing a rehab assignment, and definitely wants to be on the roster, but that doesn't make it a good idea. The Dodgers seem to be in their right mind about that, having recently said that it's highly unlikely Gonsolin pitches in October without another untimely injury for a reliever, but you really never know with the Dodgers.

There is, of course, the issue we already elucidated. The Dodgers will need to cut two players, so they probably don't want to complicate the matter more by throwing Gonsolin back into the mix. But it's also like we said: you never know with the Dodgers. Having the week off and not playing games is good for a team this injury-prone, and now no one has the opportunity to play themselves off the roster.

So the answer here is probably 'no,' but if the Dodgers have yet to make a decision, even during this week-long break, that still leaves room for them to surprise us when they drop a complete roster on Saturday. It wouldn't be a great idea to put up a pitcher who hasn't pitched in the majors since August 2023, but he's still an option.