Dodgers Leave Huge Name Off NLDS Roster

It won’t come as a surprise to those who’ve followed the team closely this season, but the Los Angeles Dodgers have made the difficult, yet unsurprising decision to go into the NLDS without Craig Kimbrel.

https://twitter.com/brwalkoff/status/1579885619677114368?s=61&t=SriPiPEIohIO-6fxzK8iqg

Dodgers announce their NLDS roster.

Craig Kimbrel is not on it. pic.twitter.com/ouceLEM0Cw
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 11, 2022

The 8-time All-Star, Kimbrel was brought in this season to serve as the Dodgers' closer, with his 394 career saves, and an appearance in the 2021 All-Star game after a shut-down first half for the Chicago Cubs.

But Kimbrel's downfall began with his trade to the Chicago White Sox at the 2021 trade deadline. He failed miserably as the set-up man to Liam Hendriks, with a 5.09 ERA. This season with the Dodgers, he began the year not quite the dominant closer he'd always been but still going 10-for-10 in save chances through the month of May. But it was an especially rocky road from there on out. He finally officially lost the closer's role on Sept. 23rd.

“I talked to him today," manager Dave Roberts said at the time, "and right now, the plan is to change roles and just kind of get him in position to pitch in different innings and different situations... I feel good about it.”

Roberts, though, is apparently not feeling too good about having Kimbrel on the Dodgers postseason roster.