The Dodgers have booked another October reservation, reaching the postseason for the 14th consecutive season and adding a 13th NL West crown in the last 14 years. For a club that has captured three of the previous six World Series and enters as the two-time defending champion, the remaining regular-season work is about earning a break before the real grind begins.
Los Angeles is chasing one of the National League’s top two records, a finish that would send it directly into the Division Series rather than the Wild Card round. The Wild Card Series opens Sept. 29, with the NLDS scheduled to start Oct. 3. A third straight championship would make the Dodgers the first Major League club to complete a three-peat since the Yankees won titles in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
The most important question remains Shohei Ohtani. He is on the 15-day injured list while managing issues with his left knee and right biceps, though his stint was dated back to Sept. 8 and he can be activated Sept. 23. That timetable could leave him five regular-season games to find his offensive rhythm before October. After several days without taking swings, Ohtani returned to swinging Tuesday, keeping a final-week comeback in play.
October staff built around four starters
The Dodgers’ postseason pitching plan starts with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. The order has not been settled, but Yamamoto’s preferred schedule is at least five days between starts, while Skubal, Snell and Glasnow have worked comfortably on four days’ rest. Yamamoto did show last October that unusual rest can be handled when the stakes rise, pitching with no days off to finish Game 7 of the World Series and take series MVP honors.
If Los Angeles gains a first-round bye, the pitching arrangement becomes easier to map out. If it has to play the Wild Card Series, the club could lean even more heavily on its rotation depth and shift starters into relief roles. Roki Sasaki and Justin Wrobleski have primarily started this season but are candidates for bullpen work in October.
Snell left his most recent outing after one inning because of tightness in his left groin. The Dodgers believe he could make one more regular-season start, provided it does not create a postseason risk. Sasaki, sidelined by a blister on his right middle finger, is also expected back before the regular season ends.
The late-inning group has a core of Tanner Scott, Edgardo Henriquez, Evan Phillips, Jack Dreyer, Brock Stewart and Alex Vesia. Henriquez has developed into a meaningful leverage option, but lower-back discomfort ended his regular season early. Testing found a low-grade strain, and the Dodgers are hoping he can recover in time for the postseason.
Edwin Díaz, out with neck inflammation, is also expected to return before the schedule closes. His first season in Los Angeles has not solved the ninth-inning instability the club expected him to address, so he is likely to work lower-leverage situations initially. If he does not sharpen up, he could be omitted from the playoff roster. The Dodgers may instead choose matchup-based finishing duties, with Scott and Henriquez among the strongest regular-season choices for save opportunities.
Wrobleski’s uneven second half has left his place unsettled, while Sasaki must show how he looks upon activation. Kris Bubic remains another arm who could force his way into the bullpen picture. Henriquez’s health could create an extra opening if he is not ready.
Bench decisions and a few injuries to track
Freddie Freeman has avoided the injured list, but the Dodgers have given their first baseman more days off than usual as he manages patellar tendinitis in his right knee. Andy Pages is recovering from a fracture in his left hand and is expected to return before the regular season ends. Dalton Rushing, dealing with right-elbow discomfort, could also come back, although he would be available only as a hitter rather than behind the plate.
The projected position-player group has Will Smith and Hunter Feduccia as the catchers; Freeman at first; Tommy Edman at second; Mookie Betts at short; and Max Muncy at third. The outfield alignment would include Teoscar Hernández, Pages and Kyle Tucker, while Kiké Hernández and Miguel Rojas provide versatile bench coverage. Ohtani would occupy the two-way role if healthy.
The final bench job is particularly fluid. Josue De Paula, the organization’s top prospect, has just made his major league debut and could offer the left-handed impact bat the Dodgers otherwise lack on their reserve unit. Rushing and Alex Call are alternatives, depending on whether the club values another potential hitter or chooses speed and defense for the final seat.
A likely 26-man October construction would carry four starters and nine relievers, with Yamamoto, Skubal, Snell and Glasnow leading the rotation. Scott, Henriquez, Phillips, Vesia, Sasaki, Wrobleski, Dreyer, Stewart and Díaz form the projected relief pool, though several of those names still depend on health and the final days of evaluation. In a Dodgers season defined by another division flag, the last roster calls may matter as much as the celebration that put them back in the bracket.
