As expected, the Los Angeles Dodgers added Corey Seager to their active roster for the World Series. Another addition was Brandon McCarthy, who won the 2005 Fall Classic when his Chicago White Sox swept the Houston Astros.
Curtis Granderson and Kyle Farmer were removed from the roster in order to add McCarthy and Seager. In a break from the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers have 13 position players and 12 pitchers.
Los Angeles opted for 13 position players and 12 pitchers in the Division Series, though that was a change from the 14 position players and 11 pitchers they carried for the first round of the playoffs in 2013, 2015 and 2016.
Seager returns after last playing Oct. 9, in Game 3 of the NLDS. He suffered a muscular injury in his back — later diagnosed as a lower back sprain — on a slide into second base. Seager received an epidural injection but his condition did not improve enough for him to participate in the NLCS.
Seager did not travel with the Dodgers to Chicago, so as to avoid becoming a distraction and in order to receive necessary one-on-one treatment.
Complete breakdown of the Dodgers’ 2017 World Series roster included below. Players are listed in alphabetical order in each position group.
Starting pitchers (4): Yu Darvish, Rich Hill, Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood
Relief pitchers (8): Tony Cingrani, Josh Fields, Kenley Jansen, Kenta Maeda, Brandon McCarthy, Brandon Morrow, Ross Stripling, Tony Watson
Catchers (2): Austin Barnes, Yasmani Grandal
Infielders (6): Cody Bellinger, Charlie Culberson, Logan Forsythe, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Chase Utley
Outfielders (5): Andre Ethier, Kiké Hernandez, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, Chris Taylor
McCarthy allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings of work across three relief appearances upon in September from a blister issue. While McCarthy was part of the White Sox team that won the World Series, he did not pitch. Any appearance would mark the first in the postseason of his career.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts alluded to potential change with Granderson last week, saying the club would evaluate matchups to determine the best course of action. He went 1-for-15 with eight strikeouts in six playoff games (three starts).
With Granderson not on the World Series roster, Joc Pederson remains after joining the team for the NLCS. Charlie Culberson, who filled in for the injured Seager in the previous round, also remains active.
