The Los Angeles Dodgers are entering the National League Division Series with a mix of optimism and caution. After a dominant two-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds in the wild card round, the stakes are now higher and, well, sadly, the lineup thinner. They have key injuries that have forced Dave Roberts to make adjustments, and one such player missing is Max Muncy, the veteran slugger.

But this is not unexpected, because MLB.com had warned everyone, “Muncy has been vague about what he’s dealing with, noting that there are ‘a lot of issues going on.” Well, Muncy’s season was interrupted twice by the IL, first with a bone bruise in his left knee. Then he faced a strained right oblique, and after he returned, he was hit by pitches three times in nine days.

This simply wrecked his readiness, and the result was that Roberts left managing a Dodgers lineup that can’t feature Muncy as often as they would like. Especially against a tough left-handed pitcher like the Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez.

Roberts mentioned, “Their guys are talented; that’s the main challenge. The downside is not being able to run Max Muncy out there as much as I like.” Now with Muncy sidelined, Roberts had shuffled his lineup. Kike Hernandez moves from left field to third base to fill Muncy’s spot. Tommy Edman also slides in at second base for Miquel Rojas. Alex Call takes over in left field, while Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Teoscar Hernández remain in the top four spots.

Shohei Ohtani will take the mound on Game 1, and he will face the Phillies, a team led by Sanchez, who finished 2025 with a 3-5 record, a 2.50 ERA, and 212 strikeouts. Meanwhile, Will Smith is also recovering from a hand fracture and has not been cleared to play. So off the bench, Roberts will have Dalton Rushing, Hyeseong Kim, Muncy, and James Dean available as backup options. For now, though, the Dodgers might still be loaded with talent, but missing Muncy, who escaped a near-fatal injury, does add a layer of doubt—especially when it is coming from the skipper himself.

Will Smith come bearing good news for the Dodgers!

The Los Angeles Dodgers will go head-to-head against the Phillies without Will Smith, their all-star catcher. He is recovering from a hairline fracture in his right hand. He suffered that injury on September 3 after a foul ball had struck him against the Pirates. Smith returned to play, but that aggravated the injury and landed him back on the IL. But he has some happy news.

Smith gave an update about his injury: “Yeah, it’s feeling good. It’s really close to 100 percent. Looking forward to being out there playing and helping the team win… I feel like I could go nine innings right now and be good.” His return would be a huge thing for LA, as he has been one of the team’s best regular-season performers. He hit .296 with 17 home runs and 61 RBIs over 110 games.

But Dave Roberts is still cautiously optimistic about Smith’s readiness, saying, “With Will, we just haven’t had the chance to do the buildup—catching five, six, or seven innings, let alone nine. He hasn’t caught anything in four weeks. There’s a chance he can get his feet wet a little bit, but yeah, he’s very close.” Now, while Smith rejoices, Ben Rortvedt will start Game 1, and the young catcher has proven that he can handle the spotlight. He tore up the Reds during the wild-card series. 500 batting average across two games. For now, he is available off the bench for the opener. Game 1 begins at 3:38 p.m. PT, and all eyes will be on the catchers, and who can get the job done right.