Prior to Game 1 of the 2024 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dave Roberts’ club might be getting a few reinforcements ahead of the highly anticipated battle. Thursday afternoon served as the primary media day for both teams. Virtually every player, coach, and broadcaster was asked questions about this series.
The Dodgers had a handful of players out injured in the NLCS. Those named included high-leverage lefty reliever Alex Vesia, hard-throwing set-up man Brusdar Graterol, and the team’s starting shortstop/clubhouse leader Miguel Rojas.
Rojas had been battling with an adductor injury — something he’s already acknowledged will require surgery at the end of the year. He sat out the Mets series after clearly being hindered by the issue in the first round versus the San Diego Padres. His availability for the World Series has been a big question mark. Rojas has proven to be a solid contact hitter with an above-average glove.
When asked about Rojas on Thursday, Roberts admitted that there’s a “really good possibility” that he’s on the World Series roster. He also admitted that Vesia and Graterol are trending positively as well. Vesia faced hitters on Wednesday in a simulated game (throwing 15 pitches). He said he feels about 90-percent — a major development for the Dodgers considering he would add another lefty to the pen, not to mention Vesia is coming off the best season of his career. Having a healthy Graterol pumping in fastballs at roughly 100 miles per hour isn’t the worst thing, either.
If Vesia and Graterol are added, you’d figure the Dodgers would drop little-used rookie Edgardo Henriquez. The 22-year-old has essentially pitched in mop-up duty during the postseason. The other pitcher dropped would likely be Landon Knack. He’s also been used sparingly during this postseason. His outing versus the Mets was quite rough.
Re-adding Rojas presents a very difficult decision. The Dodgers are humming chemistry-wise. It’s tough to figure out exactly which player would be dropped for Rojas. Playing the shortstop position requires obvious dexterity and flexibility. Tommy Edman has been great at shortstop since Rojas’ departure. Enrique Hernandez has also been crushing the ball playing mostly centerfield and some third base. Both of those guys have to be included in an everyday situation at this point.
Chris Taylor can play four to five different positions on the field. There’s value there. Kevin Kiermaier is the only left-handed bat off the bench, and he’s the team’s best fielder in center. Using him in late-game situations makes all the sense in the world. Andy Pages is coming off a series where he homered twice in one game versus the Mets. He has obvious power and a major prowess versus left-handed pitching.
If Rojas can go, it’ll be a very fascinating decision as to what the Dodgers will do roster-wise.
