Dodgers Add Pitcher, Remove Catcher for NLCS Roster

Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) and pitcher Ben Casparius (78) react after beating the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Aug. 3. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Dodgers revealed their 26-man roster for the National League Championship Series on Monday. As expected, it featured a change from the group that defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in a four-game NL Division Series last week.

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Right-hander Ben Casparius is joining the pitching staff as relief depth, while catcher Dalton Rushing is off the roster.

Dodgers release their NLCS roster. Changes from the NLDS roster:
-In: Casparius
-Out: Rushing pic.twitter.com/gogNvRrasT

— Sonja Chen (@SonjaMChen) October 13, 2025

First pitch ofGame 1 in the best-of-seven series is scheduled for 5:08 p.m. Monday at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

Rushing, 24, has had one plate appearance in the postseason. The rookie struck out in Game 3 of the NLDS, but otherwise wasn't needed in the Dodgers' victories over the Philies and the Cincinnati Reds, their opponent in the Wild Card round.

While Ben Rortvedt and Will Smith — who's recovering from a fracture in his right hand — have caught every inning of the postseason, Hyeseong Kim has been Dave Roberts' primary left-handed pinch hitting option off the bench.

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Casparius went 7-5 with a 4.64 ERA in 46 games (three starts) in his second major league season. Within those numbers lies a tale of two seasons.

The right-hander was 4-1 with a 2.93 ERA, with 44 strikeouts and only seven walks in 40 innings, on July 7. Injuries struck the starting rotation, and the Dodgers tried stretching out Casparius as a long reliever/spot starter. It did not go well.

Casparius allowed 18 runs over his next five appearances (19.2 innings). When he was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sept. 9, Casparius had a 6.45 ERA over his previous 25 games (37.2 innings).

Casparius finished the season on the Dodgers' active roster, but still hasn't appeared in a major league game since Sept. 6. Given his struggles in the season's second half, and the long layoff between competitive games, expect Casparius to be used in low-leverage situations only.

It's an unglamorous role for a pitcher who started Game 4 of last year's World Series, in what was effectively a bullpen game against the New York Yankees. But Casparius' role could be a valuable one. The Dodgers have four solid options to start in the best-of-seven series against the Brewers in Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.

But the bullpen is full of question marks beyond Roki Sasaki, who has emerged as a lock-down closer. Roberts will be loathe to use Sasaki, Alex Vesia, or any of his designated high-leverage relievers in a game the Dodgers are trailing or leading comfortably.

Expect Casparius to get the first call if a mop-up situation arises, or perhaps if the Dodgers jump out to an early lead.

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