Dodgers’ Leave Corey Seager and Pedro Baez Off Of NLCS Roster

Alex Perez10/14/2017

0 2 minutes read

This is a huge blow to the Dodgers.

Corey Seager has been left off of the NLCS roster and has been replaced by Charlie Culberson. Pedro Baez has also been taken off and Joc Pederson will be taking his spot, since Kiké Hernandez and Chris Taylor might need backing up in the outfield with Corey Seager gone.

The Dodgers will carry 11 pitchers and 14 position players in the NLCS. pic.twitter.com/mIAGMLy5bv

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) October 14, 2017

Reports came out on Thursday that Seager was dealing with a muscular back issue that came from a slide in Game 3 of the NLDS. He did not work out on Thursday or Friday, but Roberts told reporters that he was optimistic that Seager would be ready for Game 1 of the NLCS. Unfortunately, the optimism did not translate to real life.

In three games against the Diamondbacks, Corey Seager went 3-11, with four walks, two runs batted in, and three runs scored. Not having him in the lineup changes this team drastically, but hopefully the Dodgers are able to make do with the with a combination of Charlie Culberson, Chris Taylor, and Kiké Hernandez.

Now we could still see Corey Seager in the NLCS should an injury occur. If this does happen, then whoever the Dodgers place on the disabled list will not be available to play in the World Series. Because of this, the move to keep Seager off of the roster might be the Dodgers’ best option. If he was on the NLCS 25-man roster and was placed on the disabled list, he would then be ineligible to play in the World Series.

In other, more positive news, I’m sure most fans are happy to see Pedro Baez off of the NLCS roster. He and Ross Stripling did not play at all in the NLDS, so if one bullpen piece was going to be taken off it was going to be one of them. Both struggled towards the end of the season, but Stripling has the ability to pitch multiple innings under his belt. We will see if Pedro Baez is able to make a comeback sometime this series or in the World Series, but with Luis Avilan reportedly ready to return if needed, that does not seem likely.

Unlike Pedro Baez, hopefully we have not seen the last of Corey Seager in the postseason.

[button color=”red” size=”big” alignment=”center” rel=”follow” openin=”newwindow” url=”https://dodgersnation.com/dodgers-vs-cubs-nlcs-preview-pitchers-catchers-bk0585/2017/10/14/”]Dodgers Vs Cubs NLCS Preview: Pitchers and Catchers[/button]