All-star reliever removed from Dodgers roster ahead of pivotal Game 4 of NLDS, cannot return for NLCS

The news broke quietly on Thursday, but it rippled loudly throughout Major League Baseball media circles. 

All-Star closer Tanner Scott was officially removed from the Los Angeles Dodgers 26-man National League Division Series roster after undergoing a lower body abscess procedure on Wednesday night.

Manager Dave Roberts initially called Scott’s absence from the team’s 8-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies “personal reasons.” By Thursday afternoon, the picture became clearer — and more concerning. Scott, who did not appear in the Wild Card Series or the first two games of the NLDS, had been sidelined indefinitely and replaced by left-handed reliever Justin Wrobleski.

“Tanner was not at the ballpark today,” Roberts said after Game 3 in his postgame press conference. “There was something going on personal. It will come out later, but he was completely unavailable.”

For Scott, this marks yet another twist in what’s been a tumultuous first season in Los Angeles. The hard-throwing lefty, who signed a four-year, $72 million contract this past offseason, never quite found his footing in Dodger blue. His stuff remained electric, but his command — and confidence — often wavered. The numbers tell the story: a 4.74 ERA, an MLB-high 10 blown saves, and a season that never matched the expectations his contract demanded.

Scott’s absence in Game 3 was felt, even amid the Dodgers’ struggles. After Clayton Kershaw worked through a tense seventh inning thanks to some defensive help from Teoscar Hernandez, he returned for the eighth inning, a spot that could have been a perfect runway for Scott. 

Instead, Kershaw, who clearly did not have his best stuff on Wednesday night, gave up five runs (four earned) including two monster home runs to J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber. The veteran lefty, who is set to retire once the Dodgers season ends, turned a manageable deficit into a blowout loss. 

Kershaw’s performance could have ripple effects in Game 4 as Phillies’ manager Rob Thomson admitted postgame that had the score been close, he would have used his All-Star closer, Jhoan Duran, for two innings, essentially making him unavailable for the afternoon game on Thursday. Instead, Duran now has two days of rest and is ready to be unleashed in any high-leverage situation. 

Due to MLB rules, Scott will not be eligible to be on the NLCS roster should the Dodgers be fortunate enough to advance to the next round. Dave Roberts wouldn’t rule out a return for the World Series, should Los Angeles return to the Fall Classic, but either way Scott’s season is now in jeopardy.

“I wouldn’t close that door,” said Roberts of Scott being able to return for the World Series. “I think obviously the way that the rules are structured, he won’t be available for the NLCS. But I still feel that the World Series, if we’re fortunate enough to get there, earn our way there, then he’ll be available.”

Roberts also put in perspective how quickly and urgently Scott’s issue occurred. 

“This was an urgent matter,” said Roberts of Scott’s procedure. “There was kind of signs in the evening of the workout [on Tuesday]. I think that’s where it first kind of came to light for us.”

For the Dodgers, the timing couldn’t be worse. They lead the best-of-five NLDS two games to one, but the Phillies have their ace on the mound in Game 4 in Christopher Sanchez. For five sensational innings in Game 1, Sanchez was virtually unhittable. The Dodgers lineup will now have to figure him out with the shadows factoring in an afternoon game on Thursday. 

The last thing the Dodgers want to do is jump on a 5-hour charter flight back to Philadelphia for Game 5, where the atmosphere in a do-or-die game at Citizen’s Bank Park will certainly be eclectic and hostile for the Boys in Blue. 

While Wrobleski’s addition gives L.A. another fresh left-handed arm, it’s hard to ignore the symbolism of the move: one high-priced star sidelined, replaced by a young pitcher still carving out his place in the majors.

In a season filled with promise, Tanner Scott’s journey has been a cautionary one — proof that even in a star-studded roster, nothing is guaranteed. The Dodgers aren’t ruling out a return should they advance to the World Series, but that road just became steeper.

If this season ends here for Scott, it will end quietly — not on the mound in the ninth inning with 55,000 fans roaring, but in the shadows of a clubhouse medical report. Baseball can be cruel that way. One moment, you’re the stopper, the closer, the hero waiting for your call. The next, you’re watching the postseason unfold without you, wondering how it all slipped away.

For now, the Dodgers will lean on Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki, Alex Vesia, and Emmet Sheehan — the arms that have steadied them through this rollercoaster postseason. But make no mistake: Tanner Scott’s absence leaves a void.

And in October, voids like that have a way of echoing loudest when the games matter most.