The Los Angeles Dodgers get their playoff journey underway this week.
Clayton Kershaw will be there, but he won't be pitching.
The Dodgers left the legendary left-hander off of their roster for the NL Wild Card series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Kershaw, who will retire at the end of the season, could return to action later in the postseason if the Dodgers advance. But for now, all he can do is mentor and watch.
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Why isn't Clayton Kershaw on the Dodgers' playoff roster?
The Dodgers simply didn't need Kershaw for the NL Wild Card series.
The best-of-three format allows teams to keep other players around rather than starting pitchers not lined up to take the mound.
The Dodgers plan to use Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani as their three starting pitchers.
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That would've left Kershaw to pitch out of the bullpen, not a standard role for him. And the Dodgers are already planning to use regular starter Tyler Glasnow out of the pen.
Kershaw was solid this year, better than many would've expected at his age, but he wasn't dominant like some of the Dodgers' other starters have the potential to be.
So for now, Kershaw watches and hopes his team can advance so he might get another chance to take to the hill later in October.
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