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A couple of weeks ago, Dustin made a hopeful plea for the Dodgers to promote top prospect Josue De Paula for the stretch run. While I understood his desire, I figured the team’s pragmatic approach always made that move unlikely*. Still, with rosters expanding by two in September, it does provide the team with an opportunity to try … well, something different.
*Though every 0-for-4 day and defensive misplay from the corner outfield spots chips away at that instinct.
Are the Dodgers likely to do something uniquely exciting and arguably necessary that involves sidelining their trusted veterans? No. But … they could, and what’s a blog for if not to dream a bit?
So, let’s take a look at players who could get the call to help the Dodgers down the stretch and perhaps even into the playoffs.
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The Obvious
While Smith has been out since June 5, Dave Roberts has basically said that barring a setback he’s going to be one of the additions in September. So that’s about as likely an addition as I can imagine, though the real question is whether they designate Ben Rortvedt or carry three catchers. If it’s the former, and I think it might be based on playing time, then they still have the same two additional spots to play with.
Will Smith meets the Miller Lite Landing! pic.twitter.com/CV0NgB6dp6
— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) August 26, 2026
Treinen is another rehabbing veteran that is almost certain to get the call assuming there’s no setback. He’s currently building up and has gone scoreless in all five outings at AAA. Like Smith, though, that doesn’t mean he won’t replace a different more temporary reliever already on the team, and thus he effectively wouldn’t take up an expanded roster spot either.
The Familiars
Emmet Sheehan, Seth Halvorsen, Alex Freeland, Ryan Ward, Hyeseong Kim
As far as candidates to actually stick around permanently through September that would use the extra spots, the most Dodgers thing to do is to call up guys on the 40-man roster that they are familiar with for depth purposes.
Sheehan has seemingly been groomed for a swingman role since his demotion and has looked sharp in three abbreviated starts (12.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 17 K, 5 BB). The team obviously has a level of comfort with him, and he has playoff experience as well.
The team already called up Halvorsen (whom I previously advocated for), who has still not surrendered a run as a Dodger in 10.2 innings, but I’ve kept him here because this is more about whether he’ll be given real run or will just be used as depth. Obviously already being on the roster gives him a head start on things should he perform, but the way they handled him last time makes me wonder if they see him as deserving of a trial (since he could potentially just be demoted again for Treinen’s return).
Note that there’s only one additional spot for a pitcher with the expanded rosters, so it couldn’t be both Sheehan and Halvorsen, but they’re probably the likeliest candidates to be called upon.
On the position player side, the retreads of Freeland, Kim, and Ward are potential adds if the Dodgers are serious about letting their veterans play the season out, as they’d come up just for situational use and depth. I have no idea how the brass can watch these games and continue to cling onto hopium, but they usually do manage to do that historically, and so one of these three are most likely to get the call. Neither Freeland nor Ward nor Kim has stood out at AAA (and Kim has been just bad), so I don’t see the point at the moment, but any of the trio seems possible.
The Hopefuls
Josue De Paula, Zach Ehrhard, James Tibbs III, Gavin Stone, Bobby Miller
As mentioned at the start of this article, Dustin has already made a detailed case for De Paula, and since then all he’s done is continue hitting in AA. Meanwhile, in my recent article about replacing Andy Pages, I explored Tibbs III and Ehrhard as potential options (and De Paula), and everything written there is still relevant to this discussion as well.
If I were the Dodgers I’d add one (or more) from this group of outfielders at this point. Specifically, I’m not sure how they don’t at least gives Tibbs III a shot at a platoon role with a runway of the final month. De Paula is the highest upside play, while Ehrhard is more of a fourth outfielder/spot starts type, and Tibbs III basically splits the difference rather ideally.
On the pitching side, a dark horse is Stone, who was the rotation’s horse in 2024 before his shoulder gave out. Well, he’s back now and looks healthy, as he’s already throwing multiple innings and would fit as a swingman option right now. He’s currently allowed just two runs over 11.2 innings in AAA, striking out 18 to just one walk.
Miller is a bit of a blast from the past at this point, but he’s also similarly built up to multiple innings and has struck out 16 to just four walks over 12 innings, though he has given up six runs. Additionally, his velo is sitting at 97 MPH, still two ticks down from when he was last effective in the majors, and even in the highlights you can see where his spray pattern might not work the same against MLB hitters (especially compared to Stone). There’s still potential in that arm, but asking him to harness it within the next month is a tall task.
The Delayed
Kris Bubic, Jake Cousins, Ben Casparius
Excluding guys who simply got injured during the season and would likely have room made for their returns — like Roki Sasaki, Justin Wrobleski, Dalton Rushing, Edwin Diaz, Will Klein, and Pages — these three are still relative question marks going forward as they work back into shape.
The furthest along of them is Casparius, who has already made rehab appearances. However, he just does not look right, walking 14 in 8.2 innings since returning, and he’s likely more for 2027 at this point. Surprisingly, Cousins recently made an appearance out of nowhere and was throwing to hitters at Dodger Stadium already, so at some point later he could possibly get a look. Meanwhile, I’ve been told Bubic is ramping up his throwing and looking good at the complex, but there hasn’t been proof of life yet. Cousins and Bubic are free agents after the season, so the team is incentivized to give them a shot if they’re healthy.
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So what will the Dodgers end up doing?
In addition to Will Smith and Blake Treinen, the safe answer is to say Emmet Sheehan and Alex Freeland or some combination like that. However, and perhaps this is a bit of wishcasting and/or cope on my part, it’s possible that the Dodgers haven’t been encouraged by Sheehan’s lack of stuff improvement post-demotion nor with Freeland posting worse metrics at AAA than last year. And so they end up opting for the still safe but relatively fresh options of James Tibbs III and Gavin Stone, providing the team with both a left-handed power bat to try as a platoon option in the outfield and a proven big-league arm that they can test drive in the pen. Then as more arms get healthy, they can be added to the mix in lieu of whoever would effectively be cut from what are essentially tryouts for the playoff roster.
Whatever the case, for this year even more than years past, it feels like the Dodgers need the help of new blood down the stretch and into the playoffs if they’re to three-peat.
