Edgardo

Henriquez

Gomes noted that Henriquez is trending in a positive direction, which seems to indicate that he’ll be on Los Angeles’ playoff roster when they kick off an NL Division Series matchup this weekend. The hard-throwing 24-year-old high-leverage specialist posted a strong 2.85 ERA and 71/25 K/BB ratio across 60 innings before hitting the injured list with lower back discomfort on September 14.

The 24-year-old right-hander told reporters that his back is finally in a better spot after battling discomfort for the past month. He believes that he could be ready to return to the club’s bullpen for the NLDS.

It’s a significant loss for Los Angeles’ high-leverage relief mix as Henriquez has been one of their more reliable arms. The hard-throwing 24-year-old has posted an impressive 2.85 ERA and 71/25 K/BB ratio across 60 innings this season. He was probably next in line for save opportunities if lefty Tanner Scott continued to struggle after blowing a save against the Marlins over the weekend. He’s done for the remainder of the regular season, but figures to be ready for the outset of the postseason.

Tanner Scott had the night off after working three of the previous four days. Henriquez averaged 101.5 mph with his seven fastballs tonight. His last 13 appearances have seen him allow two hits, walk two and strike out 18 in 11 1/3 innings.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Emmet Sheehan will start Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Henriquez made a brief appearance Thursday, retiring one of the three Mariners he faced in the seventh inning. He probably won’t pitch more than inning against Boston.

Henriquez had one save in three appearances in his debut in 2024, one in 22 appearances last year and now has one in 31 appearances while posting a 2.76 ERA in 32 2/3 innings this season. He had the ninth today after Tanner Scott came in with two outs in the seventh and pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for a hold. Scott should remain the Dodgers’ primary closer until Edwin Díaz returns.

Henriquez has fanned four in three scoreless innings to date. The 23-year-old never truly established himself in the Dodgers pen last season, but he had a 2.37 ERA over 19 innings when he was given a chance, and he averaged 101 mph with his fastball in the process. He would have been a bit of a sleeper for 2026 if the Dodgers hadn’t signed Edwin Díaz to close.

Scott was removed from the team’s roster during the NLDS after undergoing a lower body abscess procedure. The Dodgers were hopeful that he would be ready to return for the start of the World Series, but he isn’t quite there yet. Vesia is still away from the team while navigating a deeply personal family matter. Ben Casparius was removed from the roster along with Vesia while Edgardo Henriquez and Will Klein were added. Michael Conforto remains off the roster as well. The Dodgers will kick off the Fall Classic in Toronto on Friday evening against Trey Yesavage and the Blue Jays.

As expected, Kershaw finds himself back in Los Angeles’ pitching plans to operate out of the bullpen to combat Philadelphia’s elite left sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper during the best-of-five series. Southpaw reliever Anthony Banda is also back on the roster as additional left-handed depth with Justin Wrobleski and Edgardo Hernandez left off.

Dodgers relievers struck out nine in a row at the end of the game. Blake Treinen fanned three after a leadoff single in the seventh, and Alex Vesia wound up with the win after striking out the side in the eighth. Henriquez now has a 2.37 ERA in 19 innings as a 23-year-old rookie, and he’ll definitely be a factor if the Dodgers make another run in October.