Sunday, October 13, 2024
Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2024
The Los Angeles Dodgers must change their roster for the NLCS against the New York Mets. Injuries forced the Dodgers to do this.
Losing Alex Vesia is a big blow to the Dodger bullpen. During the 2024 season, Vesia was one of the elite left-handed relievers in baseball. Friday night in Game 5 in the NLDS against the San Diego Padres, Vesia injured his intercostal muscle.
Since the All-Star break, the Dodger bullpen has been the strength. Without its dominance against the Padres, the Dodgers wouldn’t have advanced to the NLCS. Vesia was a big part. Anthony Banda will be the sole left-handed reliever.
Brent Honeywell will replace Vesia in the Dodger bullpen. The screwball reliever will help the Dodgers more different looks than normal. The opposition has more trouble preparing for different types of relievers. Honeywell had a 2.63 ERA with 18 strikeouts and 1 save in 20 games in the 2024 season. Honeywell can give the Dodgers multiple innings if the team has a large lead or deficit.
Miguel Rojas cannot go in the NLCS. For the entire 2024 season, he has been dealing with an adductor injury. During the last week of the regular season, Rojas had a tear in his adductor, but he tried to play in the NLDS. During Game 4, he aggregated his injury.
Tommy Edman will play at shortstop in Rojas’ absence. He provides almost the same level of defense. He has better offensive skills than Rojas.
Adding Kevin Kiermaier to the roster helps the Dodger outfield defense. During the last weekend of the regular season, Kiermaier dislocated index finger so that he couldn’t play during the NLCS. He will be a defensive replacement during the NLCS. He is a massive improvement from Andy Pages. Kiermaier will be a key to run prevention.
