Will Smith Justin Dean Make Dodgers Wild Card Roster Michael Conforto

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Catcher and outfielder are on the Dodgers Wild Card roster for their series against Cincinnati. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic Smith is expected to be used as a pinch-hitter off the bench. Notable absences from Los Angeles 26-man squad include outfielder and lefty reliever .  watching the Wild Card series from the sidelines.  Smith was placed on the injured list in early September after taking a foul ball off the hand. Follow-up testing a hairline fracture that ultimately kept him out of game action for the rest of the regular season. Manager Dave Roberts said Smith would take live at-bats this  Manny Ramirez Jersey week to determine his availability for the postseason. Apparently, Smith showed he was capable of contributing in the Wild Card round, at least as a hitter. The Dodgers are also carrying catchers and .  Having Smiths bat in the mix, even as just a pinch-hitter, should be a big boost for the Dodgers. The 30-year-old backstop put together a career year at the plate, slashing .296/.404/.497 with a 153 wRC+. Smith was hitting over .300 beyond the All-Star break until a sluggish August brought down his numbers. Rortvedt is a glove-first option, and Rushing hasnt lived up to his prospect pedigree as a rookie, so both could cede at-bats to Smith if they come up in a big spot. Its unclear when Smith will be able to return to the lineup in a defensive capacity.  Conforto put together a solid September to make a late bid for the Wild Card roster, but came up short. He finished the regular season with a .199 batting average and just 12 home runs. Conforto put together a strong season in San Francisco last year, earning him a 1-year, $17MM deal to stay in California with the rival Dodgers. He was signed to provide a left-handed complement to LAs righty-heavy outfield group, but fell well short of expectations.  The Dodgers opted for a more dynamic player in their final outfield spot, with Dean making the team. The 28-year-old spent seven seasons in Atlantas minor league system before joining Los Angeles via minor league free agency. He made 18 appearances with the big-league club, all of which came as a pinch runner or defensive sub. Dean went 1-for-1 as a base stealer and showed plenty of prowe s swiping bags in the minors. Hes posted three separate minor league seasons with 35+ steals, including a career-high 61 swipes acro s two levels in 2024.  Kershaw is the most prominent name to be left of the Dodgers Wild Card roster, but another lefty might be the biggest snub. Banda was a solid contributor in LAs bullpen for a second consecutive year. He finished the regular season with a 3.18 ERA acro s a career-high 71 appearances. The Dodgers have coaxed an extra tick on the fastball out of Banda, and the results have been the best of his tumultuous MLB career. Bandas handedne s seems to be the main culprit for his exclusion from the roster. The Dodgers will carry four lefty relievers in the first round, with closer  joined by  ,  , and  . The bullpen has been a frequent talking point this season after the unit finished with an ugly 4.27 ERA.  One new face among the LA relievers will be  . The right-hander last week after mi sing four months with a shoulder injury. He transitioned to a bullpen role near the end of his rehab a signment and made a pair of effective relief appearances following his return to the MLB squad. Sasakis fastball velocity was up considerably in his two relief outings. After sitting at 94.8 mph in his final start back in May, he averaged over 99 mph out of the pen. Sasaki could be a real weapon in shorter stints this postseason.  Andres Gimenez Jersey