The Dodgers have set a postseason roster built for matchup flexibility, carrying 14 position players and 12 pitchers into Saturday’s National League Division Series opener against the Braves at Dodger Stadium. Game 1 is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. local time, with Los Angeles making room for both its prized young left-handed hitter and an experienced bullpen arm returning from the injured list.
Josue De Paula, the organization’s top prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 4 prospect overall, is on the club as the primary left-handed bat off the bench. The 11-game look he received in the Majors last month gave the Dodgers a reason to trust him in October. De Paula went 10-for-31, a .323 average, with five extra-base hits, and reached base in 21 of 42 plate appearances. Most of that work came while Shohei Ohtani was sidelined and De Paula filled the designated-hitter role.
Hyeseong Kim’s inclusion helped push the roster toward an extra bench option. The Dodgers intend to use him for speed and late defensive work, the kind of move that can reshape the final three innings of a tight postseason game. Kiké Hernández and Miguel Rojas provide additional versatility around the infield, while De Paula gives the club another left-handed choice when the Braves turn to their bullpen.
Edgardo Henriquez is back in the relief group after a lower back strain put him on the injured list in mid-September. Henriquez made 61 appearances during the regular season, posted a 2.85 ERA and became one of the Dodgers’ dependable high-leverage options. He took part fully in the team’s workouts during its bye, putting him in position to return for the Division Series.
The bullpen carries five right-handers and three left-handers, a construction shaped by Atlanta’s lesser production against left-handed pitching this season. Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia headline the lefty contingent, with Kris Bubic taking the third spot. Henriquez joins Edwin Díaz, Evan Phillips, Roki Sasaki and Brock Stewart from the right side.
Dodgers NLDS roster
Will Smith and Hunter Feduccia are the two catchers. Freddie Freeman is the lone first baseman, Tommy Edman is listed at second base, Mookie Betts at shortstop and Max Muncy at third. The outfield group consists of Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker, with Ohtani occupying his two-way-player designation.
Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow make up the four starters. The eight relievers are Scott, Díaz, Henriquez, Vesia, Phillips, Sasaki, Bubic and Stewart.
Atlanta will open the series with left-hander Dylan Dodd, and Los Angeles has arranged its first four hitters accordingly: Betts, Ohtani, Smith and Freeman. It is a familiar core at the top, with De Paula and Kim waiting deeper on the bench for the kind of October moment that rarely announces itself in advance.
