Edwin Ríos left off NLDS roster with groin injury

Edwin Ríos was left off the Dodgers active roster for the National League Division Series after suffering a groin injury during a workout on Sunday at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

“He was taking some ground balls and made a play to his right, and throwing the ball to first base he tweaked his groin a little bit,” manager Dave Roberts said before Tuesday’s Game 1. “It’s better today than it was yesterday. Hopefully he’ll continue to improve, and as we get through this series, hopefully he’ll be available for the next one.”

With Ríos out, Roberts said Max Muncy would be the backup third baseman in this series if needed, and that Matt Beaty could also play the position.

Ríos hit .250/.301/.645 in 26 games this season, leading the team in slugging percentage thanks to eight home runs and six doubles in just 83 plate appearances. He started Game 1 of the wild card series against the Brewers last Wednesday night at designated hitter, going 0-for-3 with a walk.

That DH start in Game 1 of the NLDS went to Joc Pederson on Tuesday night in Arlington.

The Dodgers went with 14 pitchers for the NLDS, one more than they had active in the previous round, by adding right-hander Dylan Floro to the bullpen mix. Keibert Ruiz was also dropped from the roster, leaving the Dodgers with two catchers, with Gavin Lux added for this round.

Terrance Gore remained on the roster as a pinch runner, in a close decision over carrying a third catcher. Neither were used during the wild card series.

“I think with Terrance, he can come into play in every game, potentially,” Roberts said. “His situation might not happen, but if that situation presents itself, to not have him on the roster would be pretty costly, in my opinion.”

Despite not having Ruiz active, Roberts said he plans to have Will Smith as the designated hitter during Game 2 when Austin Barnes catches Clayton Kershaw, as was the case last Thursday and three times during the final three weeks of the regular season.