With four days to go before the beginning of the 2022 NLDS, the Los Angeles Dodgers still have a few decisions to make regarding the player roster. We already know that Joey Gallo’s in, pretty much cementing the position-player side of things, although some believe that Hanser Alberto and Miguel Vargas might be competing for one of the final spots.
However, there are a few question marks on the pitching side of things. While we do know that Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias and Tyler Anderson will be the primary starters, whether the Dodgers will choose Kershaw or Urias in the NLDS opener remains wide open.
“Not trying to be too coy,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Friday. ”We just want to hold it.”
The original plan was to have Tony Gonsolin return from the injury list and build himself up to start a game in the NLDS if needed. As it stands, that’s still the strategy, even though the righty completed only two innings in his first game back against the Rockies earlier this week. Gonsolin is scheduled to throw a simulated game at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, and if all goes well, he’ll be named to the NLDS roster.
The bullpen crew could depend a lot on health. Even though it appears that Dustin May might be healthier than Blake Treinen right now, there are reports cropping up that Treinen will still make the NLDS roster.
Roberts specified weeks back that his biggest concern was Treinen’s ability to pitch on consecutive days, but front-office boss Andrew Friedman has suggested that throwing in back-to-back games isn’t a requirement for the big veteran reliever.
Treinen faced live hitters on Wednesday and will pitch again on Saturday, according to Roberts.
Without May or Treinen in the picture, the relief crew could look something like this:
• Yency Almonte
• Brusdar Graterol
• Andrew Heaney (L)
• Tommy Kahnle
• Craig Kimbrel
• Chris Martin
• Evan Phillips
• David Price (L)
• Alex Vesia (L)
If Treinen is indeed included on the NLDS roster, it could spell the demise for someone like Kimbrel, even though he has performed decently in low-leverage, mid-inning spots since being demoted from the higher leverage roles.
If both Treinen and May are included, it could shake things up significantly. For as much as the starting rotation is dominated by left handers, the bullpen consists of mainly righties, suggesting that Heaney, Vesia and Price are safe. Heaney was presumed safe anyway as the pre-designated “long reliever.”
While we should know a lot more which direction the Dodgers might go after the winner of the NL Wildcard round is decided between the Padres and the Mets, we still might need to wait until the beginning of the week for the final roster details.