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Dodgers Remove Kim From NLCS Roster, Add Wrobleski
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- Dodgers Remove Kim From NLCS Roster, Add Wrobleski
(IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect)
The Los Angeles Dodgers have made a big change in terms of their 2026 National League Championship Series roster.
When looking at how the Milwaukee Brewers had their roster situated in both the National League Division Series and NLCS, it's clear manager Dave Roberts knows this is going to be a pitcher-heavy series.
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Hyeseong Kim's name was on the chopping block alongside Miguel Rojas and Josue De Paula, but Roberts has opted to cut Kim over the other two.
Kim will be replaced by Justin Wrobleski, according to The Athletic 's Fabian Ardaya, so that's a fresh arm for this team to have in the bullpen, or even rotation, now that it goes from a best-of-five to best-of-seven series.
Officially, the Dodgers are now carrying as many pitchers (13) as they are position players (13) en route to a third straight World Series Championship.
Kim doesn't make the cut for Dodgers
Kim, 27, suffered a hand injury in the World Baseball Classic and was never able to break through with the Dodgers this season.
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After slashing .280/.314/.385 with a .699 OPS in his rookie season, the South Korean native returned to the team in 2026 only for him to appear in 43 games.
He had 116 at-bats, which is only 45 fewer than what he had in 2025, but he wasn't able to churn out the results this Dodgers team needed as they eye a historic three-peat.
Kim's OPS fell to .651, and he had career lows across the board. Kim went from a 1.6 WAR to a 0.5 WAR player, and it makes sense why the Dodgers opted to replace him now that they could potentially go seven games deep against a Brewers team that took them the distance in 2018.
Welcome back, Wrobleski
Wrobleski, 26, gives the Dodgers another left-handed pitching option. That's huge against a Brewers lineup that features notable lefties such as Christian Yelich, Brice Turang, Garrett Mitchell, Jake Bauers, among others.
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It's crazy to think that someone who went 12-5 this year was left off the NLDS roster, but those are the cards Wrobleski was dealt .
If that doesn't prove how deep this pitching staff is, who knows what will. The Illinois native sported a 3.66 ERA this season with a 1.14 WHIP.
His last appearance was on the team's regular season finale, where he threw two scoreless innings.
Wrobleski had a 4.61 ERA in the month of September, and it was 9.22 during his three appearances in August.
