LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitching corps will face a challenge as they enter Game 4 against the Philadelphia Phillies, due to Tanner Scott’s removal from the active NLDS lineup.
Dodgers’ skipper, Dave Roberts, informed news sources that Scott underwent a medical procedure on Wednesday night, describing it as an urgent health concern but mentioned the possibility of a return if the Dodgers advance to the World Series.
“From what I’ve been told, it was a medical procedure, a minor one located on his lower body,” Roberts stated. “My understanding is limited, but I am aware that he is recovering smoothly, and it occurred last night.”
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Left-handed pitcher Justin Wrobleski is slated to take Scott’s place on the active roster. League regulations stipulate that Scott will be ineligible for the NLCS should the Dodgers triumph over the Phillies in either of the subsequent two games.
Roberts had earlier hinted at Scott’s situation following Wednesday’s Game 3 defeat, characterizing it as “personal” and indicating that the left-handed pitcher was “completely unavailable.”
If Scott’s season concludes here, 2025 will be remembered as a largely frustrating initial year with the Dodgers. His acquisition during the previous offseason, valued at four years and $72 million, had raised expectations for him to excel as a key reliever for a team already well-equipped in other areas.
However, Scott’s performance fell short, marked by a season of struggles. He was placed on the injured list in July due to elbow problems and recorded a 6.92 ERA in the latter half of the season, despite the Dodgers continuing to use him in crucial game situations.
Evidently, the team maintained confidence that Scott’s talent would eventually surface and that he would evolve into the pitcher who had once troubled Shohei Ohtani during the previous year’s postseason while playing for the San Diego Padres. Unfortunately, that transformation did not materialize, and he remained unused throughout the Dodgers’ first five games of the 2025 playoffs.
Unless a significant trade occurs, Scott is expected to return to the Dodgers next season, with opportunities for improvement.
Scott’s struggles have substantially impacted the Dodgers’ bullpen challenges over the past month, which the team has been unable to resolve effectively. A positive aspect has been the rise of rookie Roki Sasaki as a late-inning option; however, nearly every other relief pitcher used during this postseason has experienced at least one difficult inning.
This trend persisted in Game 3, when Clayton Kershaw — pitching from the bullpen in what could be his final MLB postseason — watched a 3-1 advantage quickly transform into an 8-1 deficit, which could have serious implications for the Dodgers in Game 4.
