Dodgers reporter Juan Toribio answers World Series questions in Reddit AMA

LOS ANGELES – The stage is set. The Dodgers and Yankees, two of the sport's most storied franchises, will face each other in the World Series for the first time since 1981. The spotlight will be on Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, arguably the two best players in the world, winning the Fall Classic for the first time in their storied careers.

But before things get going on Friday, we hosted an Ask Me Anything on Reddit with Dodgers fans at r/dodgers to prepare for the World Series matchup. This mailbag contains questions and answers from there. The full AMA can be read here.

If you had to guess, what are the chances at this point that both Vesia and Graterol are on the World Series roster?
That's hard to answer since we haven't had much access in the last few days. But on Tuesday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said both guys are “trending in the right direction” and playing time decisions will be made when the roster is due on Friday.

At the moment I would say that the chances of Alex Vesia being in the squad are greater than Brusdar Graterol. Vesia would be a key player for the Dodgers, especially given the large number of left-handed hitters in the Yankees' lineup, most notably Juan Soto. Graterol would also be a big addition, but he hasn't played much this season due to a recurring right shoulder issue.

In what scenarios do you think Doc will bring out a 3v4 BP game? I know a BP Game 3 means a potential Game 7 would also have to be a BP game (perhaps with help from Buehler on a short rest), but a BP Game 4 is difficult without a day of rest before or after (and Buehler could do it). require above-average BP coverage). What do you think will drive this decision?
That's a good question and one the Dodgers are still working on. Obviously we now know that Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will get the first two games, but they need to figure out when they will use that bullpen game.

Things can change (I expect them to at almost this point in the year), but my first guess is that they will try to force it through in Game 3. Well, that will all depend on how the Dodgers emerge from the first two games and where they are in the series.

Going to the bullpen in Game 3 guarantees that all high-leverage arms will be available from the bullpen after the day off. It would also roster Walker Buehler for Game 4, and he would be available in a possible Game 7 along with every other starter on the roster. If it comes to that, all players would be ready. But as I said, a lot will be decided once the Dodgers know where they stand after the first two games at Dodger Stadium.

Do you think Ben Casparius will be our main man during the bullpen game? Or do you see Doc using him more sporadically in higher leverage situations throughout the series, instead opting for Knack/Honeywell to give us length? Ben was great in the last round and I think finding important innings for him will be hugely important for us.
I think it's safe to assume that Brent Honeywell and Casparius will play a larger role in this series than Landon Knack. Both Honeywell and Casparius performed well in the National League Championship Series, while Knack had one of the worst performances of his season in Game 2 against the Mets.

Honeywell and Casparius both have experience as starters and are now coming out of the bullpen. Again, a lot will depend on how the series turns out, but I expect both guys to play important roles in this series as multi-inning options.

How do you think our batsmen will adapt to players like Gerrit Cole? [Carlos] Rodon? I know Flaherty said he'll make adjustments after his poor performance in Queens, but do you expect him to have a good G1 or do you think he'll be on a downward trend?
This lineup is locked in right now, so I don't see many pitchers in the world who can rule them out if they keep this approach. Heading into the series, the Dodgers don't have many, if any, concerns about where they stand with their lineup.

However, they need to get tremendous production out of their pitchers, especially their starters. Yamamoto, Buehler and Flaherty all showed flashes throughout the NLCS, but they need to find a way to get deeper into games to keep the bullpen as fresh as possible.

How did you interpret Freddie’s “100% Go” comments for the WS? Was it “absolutely 100% ready to play, but slightly nerfed to some degree” or “back to 100% health”?
The comments were that Freddie Freeman will be in the lineup for Game 1. Even with the break between the NLCS and World Series, Freeman won't be 100 percent the rest of the way. It was a pretty serious ankle injury that he has to work through. But at least he feels like he's in a better place, which would obviously help the Dodgers' lineup.

With the recent passing of the great Fernando Valenzuela, will the Dodgers honor him with a special ceremony at Dodger Stadium or wear a special patch on their jerseys in honor?
Still no word on a patch, although it may be too sudden for that. They will definitely be honoring the legendary Valenzuela at Dodger Stadium throughout the World Series.