Dodgers World Series roster: Curtis Granderson out, Corey Seager officially back

Mike Oz

LOS ANGELES — Dodgers fans will be happy to know that star shortstop Corey Seager is back for the World Series. They might also be happy to know that Curtis Granderson isn’t sticking around for the World Series.

The Dodgers announced their World Series roster on Tuesday before Game 1 against the Houston Astros. Seager, as expected, is returning from his back injury and Granderson, somewhat surprisingly, didn’t make the cut. In his place, the Dodgers added another pitcher, Brandon McCarthy.

Here’s the entire roster:

Granderson, 36, is a veteran bat and outfielder, but he’s been in a huge postseason slump. He has just one hit in 15 at-bats spread over six games for the Dodgers. So in that sense, it’s not surprising that he’d be left off the roster. Rather, it’s surprising because manager Dave Roberts had shown such a desire until this point to stick with Granderson, thinking he’d break out of his slump. That also led to Dodgers fans blaming Granderson when the team struggled.

Strategically, nobody will blame the Dodgers for adding another pitcher, even though McCarthy hasn’t thrown in a game since Oct. 1. The postseason is often an arms race and having another serviceable pitcher out of the bullpen is never a bad thing.

Curtis Granderson won't be playing for the Dodgers in the World Series. (AP)
Curtis Granderson won’t be playing for the Dodgers in the World Series. (AP)

Not having Granderson likely means more at-bats for various other Dodgers, like Kiké Hernandez, the star of their NLCS clincher, or veteran Andre Ethier, who homered in the NLCS. When the series shifts to Houston, the Dodgers will also be able to add a DH to their lineup.

We haven’t seen a Game 1 lineup from the Dodgers yet, but given the roster news, the Dodgers will probably have Chris Taylor in centerfield — he played shortstop some when Seager was out. Granderson played center when Taylor played short, so that’s another reason Granderson became expendable.

Here’s the Astros’ roster, which doesn’t have any surprises on it:

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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