Dodgers add Kershaw to NLDS roster as reliever vs Phillies

Clayton Kershaw has been added to the Los Angeles Dodgers roster for the National League Division Series and will be used out of the bullpen, manager Dave Roberts said Friday, as the team prepares to open the best‑of‑five against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park. Kershaw, 37, who announced he will retire after the postseason, joins a lefty‑heavy Dodgers staff designed to match up with Philadelphia's lineup, and veteran catcher Will Smith remains on the roster and is expected to be available despite a fractured right hand.

"He'll be on the roster. He's going to be out of the pen and used as such," Roberts said of Kershaw. The three‑time Cy Young Award winner and 11‑time All Star posted roughly a 3.3 ERA this season and brings postseason experience and leadership to a bullpen that the Dodgers reconfigured for the series. Anthony Banda was the other pitching addition on Saturday, giving Los Angeles six left‑handed pitchers among the 11 they will carry.

The Dodgers kept their position player group intact from the Wild Card round, retaining three catchers in Will Smith, Ben Rortvedt and Dalton Rushing. Roberts said Smith, who suffered a hairline fracture in...