The Dodgers' Oct. 3 NLDS roster remains unsettled: a 26-player roster allows at most 13 pitchers. Thirteen appears most likely for best-of-seven rounds; 12 is possible in the five-game opener, freeing one additional position-player spot. Shohei Ohtani will not pitch in 2026.
Each round has its own roster, submitted on the morning of Game 1. After Ohtani returned from the injured list to take the designated-hitter at-bats, Josue De Paula was optioned; his 10-day assignment ends in time for Oct. 3, leaving him eligible if selected. He is competing with Dalton Rushing for a left-handed pinch-hit role. Rushing has played only five games in eight weeks after two injured-list stints, and manager Dave Roberts said his lack of recent at-bats makes the choice harder.
Four starters and 10 relievers are in the current pool; Edgardo Henriquez is expected to be ready, leaving 11 relievers for eight or nine places. Emmet Sheehan, Kyle Hurt and Seth Halvorsen cannot join the NLDS roster by Oct. 3 because pitchers must spend 15 days on option; Sheehan becomes eligible Oct. 6. The Dodgers used 13 pitchers in every round they played in 2022–24, then 11 or 12 in 2025 while Ohtani supplied starter-level innings.
