The Dodgers flew to South Korea on Thursday, and then on Friday morning unveiled their 31-player travel roster for their week in and around Seoul, a group that included 16 pitchers and 15 position players.
Among the players on the trip are the 26 players who will eventually make up the active roster for when the Dodgers open their regular season against the Padres on Wednesday, March 20 (3:05 a.m. PT; SportsNet LA, ESPN). But there are also five other players who will be available to play during the two exhibition games before the two games that count.
The Dodgers face the KBO team Kiwoom Heroes on Sunday afternoon in South Korea (8 p.m. PT Saturday night), then take on the Korean national team on Monday night locally (3 a.m. PT Monday morning). Both exhibition games will be televised by SportsNet LA.
Hunter Feduccia, who was optioned to minor league camp on March 3, gives the Dodgers a third catcher to help fill some innings in those exhibition games. Similarly, the previously-optioned Landon Knack also made the trip to Seoul.
Veteran right-hander Daniel Hudson, who is expected to make the team after signing a minor league contract, is the only Dodgers non-roster invitee on the travel roster. The team would need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move in order to activate Hudson for the two games against the Padres.
Tyler Glasnow will start on opening day for the Dodgers on March 20, the second opening day start of his career, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start the second game in Seoul in March 21.
Bobby Miller is expected to start one of the exhibition games, and the guess here is that he ends up one of three players on the exempt list for the two regular season games. When the Dodgers finalize their opening day roster by Wednesday, they are allowed 26 active players plus three exempt players. Miller will likely join fellow starter James Paxton and reliever Brusdar Graterol, the latter who was slowed by hip and shoulder issues this spring but is expected to be ready by domestic opening day on March 28. Both Paxton and Graterol will remain at Camelback Ranch during the team’s South Korea trip.
This is similar to 2014 when the Dodgers opened the regular season in Sydney, Australia a week ahead of domestic opening day. LA had a travel roster of 30 players back then, when active rosters were 25 players instead of the current 26, and once the opening day roster was finalized there were 28 players, three of whom were exempt (and, in that case, all back in Arizona).
Dodgers travel roster to South Korea
Catchers (3): Will Smith, Austin Barnes, Hunter Feduccia*
Infielders (5): Freddie Freeman, Gavin Lux, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Miguel Rojas
Outfielders (3): Teoscar Hernández, James Outman, Jason Heyward
Utility players (3): Chris Taylor, Kiké Hernández, Miguel Vargas
Designated hitter (1): Shohei Ohtani
Starting pitchers (4): Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Bobby Miller, Landon Knack*
Right-handed relievers (10): Evan Phillips, Joe Kelly, Ryan Brasier, Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson, Gavin Stone, Michael Grove, J.P. Feyereisen, Kyle Hurt, Gus Varland
Left-handed relievers (2): Ryan Yarbrough, Alex Vesia
*was previously optioned
The Padres travel roster includes 17 pitchers and 14 position players. All three catchers on San Diego’s 40-man roster are present in Seoul.
Padres non-roster invitees included on their travel roster are outfielder Jackson Merrill plus infielders Graham Pauley and Tyler Wade. Merrill, who was a shortstop in the minors and one of San Diego’s top prospects, is expected to make the team as the Padres starting center fielder.
