MILWAUKEE — The Dodgers added left-handed reliever Justin Wrobleski to the National League Championship Series roster on Sunday, bolstering their bullpen with a pitcher who can cover multiple innings, as they take on the Milwaukee Brewers, the best team in the regular season.
In the Dodgers’ first best-of-seven series of the postseason, they will carry 13 pitchers and 13 position players — one more pitcher and one fewer position player than the previous round.
To even the balance, they left pinch-runner/defensive replacement Hyeseong Kim off the NLCS roster. Kim appeared in just one game in the NLDS, on defense in the ninth inning of Game 4.
Wrobleski was an All-Star for his first-half performance (2.69 ERA). But an up and down second half included a short stint in the injured list, as the team kept an eye on his workload, and a move to the bullpen. He finished the season strong, allowing just one run in his last eight appearances (8 ⅔ innings).
“Length, having a guy that can go two or three, is something where you essentially protect downside on the pitching,” manager Dave Roberts said Saturday when asked what traits the Dodgers would prioritize when considering which pitcher to add. “As far as handedness, they’re pretty balanced, so that really doesn’t come into play. For us, it’s more of who can take down a couple innings.”
Here’s the Dodgers’ full NLCS roster:
Infielders (6)
1B Freddie Freeman
3B Max Muncy
SS Mookie Betts
IF Miguel Rojas
UTL Kiké Hernández
UTL Tommy Edman
Outfielders (3)
LF Teoscar Hernández
CF Andy Pages
RF Kyle Tucker
Designated hitters (2)
DH Shohei Ohtani
PH Josue De Paula
Catchers (2)
C Will Smith
C Hunter Feduccia
Starting pitchers (4)
LHP Tarik Skubal
LHP Blake Snell
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto
RHP Tyler Glasnow
Relief pitchers (9)
RHP Roki Sasaki
RHP Edwin Díaz
RHP Edgardo Henriquez
RHP Evan Phillips
RHP Brock Stewart
LHP Tanner Scott
LHP Alex Vesia
LHP Kris Bubic
LHP Justin Wrobleski
