The Los Angeles Dodgers get a bye for the Wild Card round of the 2026 postseason, but still have big decisions to make over the next few days.
Their roster is far from set in stone as of now, with several players fighting for position on the team. With less than a week to go until the Dodgers kick off their postseason campaign in the NLDS, Dodgers Nation predicted who the Dodgers will have on their roster come Saturday.
Pitchers
Pitchers will make up the largest position group on the roster, but the Dodgers will still likely have fewer than they would on a traditional 26-man roster due to the length of the series. Seeing as how the NLDS will only reach a maximum of five games, the Dodgers likely won’t need more than 12 pitchers.
Those pitchers are as follows:
RHP Yoshinobu YamamotoRHP Tyler GlasnowLHP Blake SnellLHP Tarik SkubalLHP Tanner ScottLHP Alex VesiaLHP Jack DreyerRHP Roki SasakiRHP Edgardo HenrÃquezRHP Edwin DiazRHP Evan PhillipsRHP Brock Stewart
Sep 23, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Dodgers will have a pretty straightforward bullpen for this series, likely avoiding bringing bulk relievers to the NLDS due to the shorter series. That means Kris Bubic and Justin Wrobleski will miss out, as the Dodgers have plenty of capable left-handers to handle an inning or two already, and Emmet Sheehan will remain away from the team for now.
Those players could still make an appearance later in the postseason, though, as a longer series could warrant bulk arms.
All but one of those 12 pitchers were on the Dodgers’ active roster at the end of the regular season, the exception being Edgardo HenrÃquez, who will likely take over Blake Treinen’s duties following the veteran’s season-ending injury.
The Dodgers will likely roll out a four-man rotation of Yamamoto, Glasnow, Skubal and Snell for the series, meaning Sasaki will return to his role as a reliever in October.
Catchers
Catcher is also straightforward for the Dodgers, as Dalton Rushing isn’t likely to play behind the dish regardless of whether he makes the roster or not.
Their catchers will be Will Smith and Hunter Feduccia.
The Dodgers aren’t likely to give Feduccia much game time—if any at all—so Smith will handle the bulk of the opportunities behind the plate for the postseason.
Designated Hitter
If Rushing were to make the roster, the Dodgers would use him almost exclusively as a pinch hitter due to his injury. That being said, Rushing’s rough performances after returning from the IL—and potential lingering injury—clear the way for Josue De Paula to step back into the spotlight.
We predict their designated hitters to be Shohei Ohtani and Josue De Paula.
Sep 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Josue de Paula (95) celebrates after scoring on a two run home run by Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (not pictured) during the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Ohtani is a given, but nobody expected De Paula to be in this position at the beginning of the season. The 21-year-old came to MLB on Sept. 11 and posted an OPS north of 1.000 in just 11 games, leaving fans dissatisfied after he returned to the minors.
The Dodgers may not play De Paula in every game, but he has a game-changing bat, and can make a difference for the Dodgers whether he starts or comes off of the bench.
Infielders
The Dodgers have another fairly straightforward group in the infield, as they’ve remained fairly consistent with their personnel in this area all season.
They’re likely to bring:
1B Freddie FreemanSS Mookie Betts3B Max MuncyUTIL Tommy EdmanUTIL Kike HernandezUTIL Miguel Rojas
The Dodgers will stick with this group of six, bringing backup for several positions with their multitude of utility men. Edman will probably handle most of the time at second base, but could also fill in at center if needed. Rojas can play across the infield, and Kiké Hernandez has played just about every position on the diamond over the past few years.
Murmurs of Hyeseong Kim joining the postseason roster floated around in the days and weeks leading up to the offseason, but a disappointing season in the minors may rule him out despite his proficiency on the base paths.
May 8, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Hyeseong Kim (6) takes batting practice prior to the game against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesOutfielders
Instead of Kim, the Dodgers could include an outfielder who spent the entire regular season with the Dodgers.
The Dodgers are sure to include LF Teoscar Hernández, CF Andy Pages and RF Kyle Tucker on the roster, and could add OF Alex Call into the mix.
Call played 88 games with the Dodgers this season, and ranks fifth on the team in terms of sprint speed. Kim leads the list, clocking in at 28.8 feet per second, but Call isn’t far behind with a 27.8 mark. Call grades above league average in both fielding run value and outs above average and also reaches base at a respectable .349 clip, meaning he brings value outside of being a pinch runner.
Jun 23, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Alex Call (12) celebrates hitting a home run against the Minnesota Twins in the eighth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
The other three spots are common sense, as they have started across the outfield all season.
With their deep roster, the Dodgers are sure to give either the Philadelphia Phillies or Atlanta Braves a hard time, especially with their postseason pedigree. The series between the Phillies and Braves starts Tuesday at 11 a.m. PT, with the NLDS scheduled to begin Saturday at a time still to be announced.
Dodgers Nation
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