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**Dodgers Tweak Roster for NLCS Showdown with Brewers: Kershaw In, Fresh Arm Added**

MILWAUKEE – The Los Angeles Dodgers have finalized their 26-man roster ahead of Monday’s NL Championship Series Game 1 against the Milwaukee Brewers, making strategic adjustments aimed at bolstering their pitching staff and streamlining their catching corps.

Right-handed pitcher Ben Casparius has been added to the roster, providing a fresh arm and right-handed balance to the bullpen, while catcher Dalton Rushing has been removed. Despite a shaky relief appearance in the NLDS, veteran lefty Clayton Kershaw has been included on the NLCS roster.

Manager Dave Roberts explained that the decision to drop Rushing was driven by the return of Will Smith as the everyday starting catcher. “We felt that Will is in a good spot to feel that we don’t need to protect him to have a third catcher,” Roberts said. Ben Rortvedt will serve as the team’s backup catcher.

Casparius, who spent the majority of the season with the Dodgers before a September stint in Triple-A Oklahoma City, was brought in to offer a different look against right-handed Brewers hitters. The team had hoped his time in the minor leagues helped him find the same form that helped him record a 2.54 ERA earlier in the season. Casparius’s previous World Series experience was also cited as a factor in the decision.

The Dodgers will carry 11 pitchers (excluding Shohei Ohtani), signaling a commitment to a deep bullpen despite the length of the series.

**Here is the full NLCS Roster:**

* **Catchers (2):** Ben Rortvedt, Will Smith
* **First Base (1):** Freddie Freeman
* **Outfielders (4):** Alex Call, Justin Dean, Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages
* **Utility (3):** Tommy Edman, Kiké Hernández, Hyeseong Kim
* **Two-way player (1):** Shohei Ohtani
* **Starters (3):** Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto
* **Bullpen (9):** Anthony Banda, Ben Casparius, Jack Dreyer, Clayton Kershaw, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan, Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, Justin Wrobleski

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