Dodgers to carry 3 catchers for wild-card series vs. Reds

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers will carry three catchers on their wild-card roster, including starter Will Smith, who has been dealing with a hairline fracture in his right hand.

Smith will be joined by Dalton Rushing and Ben Rortvedt, both of whom were added for extra protection in case Smith can’t go. The Dodgers instead left out Michael Conforto, who had been their every-day left fielder for most of the season but struggled at the plate, slashing .199/.305/.333.

Conforto’s absence means the Dodgers will likely go with Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernandez in the outfield corners, with Tommy Edman playing center field and Miguel Rojas at second base.

The Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds both announced their rosters for the best-of-three series Tuesday morning, ahead of Game 1 of their wild-card series from Dodger Stadium (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Brady Singer, who started Sunday’s regular-season finale, and Zach Maxwell, a 24-year-old right-handed reliever who made eight appearances down the stretch, were the notable omissions from the Reds’ roster.

The Reds will start Hunter Greene, Zack Littell and Andrew Abbott, in that order, with fellow starter Nick Lodolo being deployed as a reliever because he pitched in relief in Milwaukee on Sunday.

The Dodgers will start Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani, respectively, and will carry four left-handed relievers — Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Justin Wrobleski and Jack Dreyer — against a Reds offense that struggled mightily against lefties this season. Three of their starting pitchers — Tyler Glasnow, Emmet Sheehan and Roki Sasaki — will be deployed as relievers to help a needy bullpen.

The Dodgers’ most surprising addition was Justin Dean, a 28-year-old journeyman who debuted in the majors this season and accumulated all of two plate appearances in 18 games. Dean can provide late-game defense and baserunning.