Miguel Rojas To Be Available For NLCS After Cortisone Injection

Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas was removed from Game 3 of the NLDS with a back injury. He was unavailable off the bench in Game 4. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, that Rojas is expected to be on the NLCS roster. He had a cortisone injection that helped loosen up the area. Rojas didn’t play in Game 1, but drew the start in the second matchup versus the Braves with left-hander Ray Kerr on the mound. The veteran got another start in Game 3 against lefty Chris Sale. Rojas was pulled during a plate appearance in the eighth inning. Tommy Edman finished the at-bat and took over at second base. The Dodgers leaned on Rojas against left-handed pitching this season. The infielder had 162 plate appearances versus southpaws, compared to 90 PAs against righties. Rojas hit .293 with four homers when facing lefties. He scuffled to a .505 OPS in his limited opportunities against right-handed pitching. This series might not be a fit for Rojas, at least as a starter. Milwaukee will go with righties Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson in Games 1 and 2. Robert Gasser is the only left-hander in the mix as a potential starter. Righty Dustin May would be the other choice. The Brewers have several lefties in the bullpen, so Rojas could get some pinch-hit chances against Aaron Ashby, JoJo Romero, DL Hall, and company. Rojas was one of the heroes in Game 7 of last year’s World Series. He tied the game with a home run in the ninth inning off Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman. Rojas has a pair of World Series rings and 23 games of playoff experience. Roberts also revealed hints about the pitching side of the NLCS roster. He mentioned adding a reliever who could cover “2-3 innings,” relays Katie Woo of The Athletic. Woo cites Justin Wrobleski and Emmet Sheehan as potential options. Roberts said the Dodgers would go with 13 position players and 13 pitchers. They had 14 hitters and 12 pitchers for the NLDS. With a longer series on tap, it makes sense to add some length to the bullpen. The adjustment on the hitting side will likely be Hyeseong Kim. He and backup catcher Hunter Feduccia were the only two hitters to go without an at-bat in the NLDS. Kim played one inning as a defensive replacement. The other candidate would seem to be rookie Josue De Paula, who offers more offensive upside but doesn’t have Kim’s speed or positional flexibility. One item to watch for the Dodgers’ offense will be Shohei Ohtani’s spot in the lineup. Roberts said he hasn’t decided if Ohtani will move back to the No. 2 spot, per Ardaya. Ohtani was dropped to fifth in Game 3 against the Braves. He hit cleanup in the final game of the series. Ohtani went 2-for-13 in the NLDS. He’s still shaking off the rust after missing two weeks in September with multiple injuries. Ohtani did steal a base in Game 4, which suggests his troublesome knee is feeling better. He also scurried home on a dropped popup to give the Dodgers their first run of the game. Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images