Tanner Scott has yet to make a postseason appearance for the Los Angeles Dodgers, partly due to being removed from their playoff roster during the National League Division Series.
The Dodgers carried 12 pitchers for the NL Championship Series, but Scott was not eligible to participate following his removal from the roster before Game 4 of the NLDS. Replacing Dalton Rushing with Ben Casparius was the one roster change the Dodgers made for the NLCS.
Scott’s sudden removal was due to an unexpected abscess excision procedure on his lower body.
Now that his postseason eligibility has been restored, Scott feels physically capable of pitching and hopes to be included on the Dodgers’ World Series roster.
Manager Dave Roberts said the team is still evaluating the veteran reliever and has been encouraged by his throwing sessions, but ultimately there is a medical component that is going to determine availability for the World Series.
“It’s good to see Tanner continue to throw and throw ‘pens. It’s just kind of trying to get a grasp on the doctors giving him the full green light, the go-ahead,” Roberts said.
“Today, I can’t answer that question. I know that he’s anxious, which is a good thing. But I think fortunately, we get to see for a couple more days how he responds to throwing and bullpens and things like that.”
Scott endured a rough regular season in his first year with the Dodgers, posting a 4.74 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. He blew a career-high 10 saves and averaged 1.74 home runs allowed per nine innings across 61 appearances.
Scott was the main option to close out games, but that has since been assumed by Roki Sasaki.
The left-hander has pitched 5.1 innings in the playoffs, including 4.1 scoreless innings and seven strikeouts against the Dodgers in the 2024 NLDS.
Scott has not made an appearance since Sept. 26, which will be just shy of one month when the World Series begins on Friday, Oct. 24.
Will Dodgers add Tanner Scott to roster?
While the Dodgers consider possibly including Scott on their roster, Roberts indicated there is only one change the team is considering.
He did not specify if that’s related to Scott or not, or if the Dodgers will look to drop a position player in favor of another relief pitcher.
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