Projecting the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2025 Postseason Lineup
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers appear playoff-bound.
As of Sept. 2, the 78-59 Dodgers hold a 2 1/2 game lead over the San Diego Padres in the NL West.
Even if the Padres mount a furious September comeback, the Dodgers have nonetheless positioned themselves for a 13th straight postseason berth.
Barring any injuries or disasters over their final 25 games, the Dodgers should already have an idea of their postseason roster. In fact, here’s our guess at what the Los Angeles Dodgers’ playoff lineup will look like.
| 1. | ShoheI Ohtani | DH |
| 2. | Mookie Betts | SS |
| 3. | Freddie Freeman | 1B |
| 4. | Will Smith | C |
| 5. | Teoscar Hernández | RF |
| 6. | Andy Pages | CF |
| 7. | Michael Conforto | LF |
| 8. | Alex Freeland OR Kiké Hernández | 3B |
| 9. | Alex Freeland OR Miguel Rojas | 2B |
| Game 1 SP: | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | SP |
Admittedly, there shouldn’t be too many surprises in the Dodgers’ projected playoff lineup. Ohtani and Betts are likely locked in as the 1-2 hitters, and Teoscar Hernández has primarily batted fifth over the last month.
Freeman is a .315 hitter with 13 home runs, 46 RBIs, and a .923 OPS over 350 plate appearances batting third. Similarly, Smith has dominated opposing pitching to the form of a .326 average, eight homers, and a 1.014 OPS across 159 plate appearances as the cleanup hitter. There’s no reason for Roberts to change anything there in September, let alone when the playoffs start.
The 24-year-old Pages has quietly broken out for 23 homers, 22 doubles, 77 RBIs, and an above-average .780 OPS. It certainly looks like Roberts will stick with Conforto and his -0.5 bWAR until season’s end, even with the 32-year-old slugger on pace for career lows in RBIs (29) and OPS (.628).
Then, there are the infield questions. Freeland hit .200 with 31 strikeouts in 86 August plate appearances, but the Dodgers remain committed to giving him at-bats. If Roberts sticks with Freeland at second or third, that leaves Kiké Hernández and Miguel Rojas to man the other spot. We personally would go with Rojas, who has 18 extra-base hits and a .704 OPS in nearly 250 plate appearances, though we’ll see which route Roberts takes.
How would you arrange the Dodgers’ starting postseason lineup? Let us know in the comments.
