Andy Pages finished the regular season after losing a team-leading 14 ABS challenges. Then, he lost a challenge on an obvious strike in the series opener of the NLDS. The Los Angeles Dodgers had allowed him 162 games to learn the ins and outs of the ABS Challenge System. But the training wheels have come off in the postseason, and manager Dave Roberts is no longer giving his players multiple chances to rectify their mistakes.
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It became clear when the Dodgers’ manager revoked challenging rights from their star center fielder.
“We talked about Andy’s success rate or lack thereof, and I didn’t revisit it before Game 1 yesterday, so that’s my fault,” said Dave Roberts, per Dodger Nation. “We did have a conversation today, and we’ve managed that one going forward.”
When asked if that meant Pages would not be challenging anymore, the Dodgers manager said, “Yes.”
Back in August, manager Roberts said that he would ban players from using ABS challenges if they repeatedly make mistakes and have trouble understanding the strike zone. That time has finally come for Pages.
Pages recorded a success rate of only 44% on ABS Challenges in the regular season. It ranked fifth-worst among the club’s hitters.
Despite the poor success rate, the Dodgers have not banned him from challenging calls until Pages’ blunder in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves.
In the second inning on Saturday, Pages challenged an obvious two-strike pitch during his first at-bat. The review showed that the pitch was well into the strike zone, and the original call on the field was upheld.
Pages was struck out to end the inning.
According to the rules of the ABS Challenge System, each team only gets two challenges per game. With their first challenge wasted so early, the Dodgers had to rely on only one challenge for the rest of the game.
Mookie Betts had a completely different approach than Pages when it came to using ABS challenges. At the top of the first in Game 1, the veteran Dodger was struck out on a full-count pitch by Dylan Dodd that was well out of the strike zone. But Betts chose not to challenge it because it was so early in the game and in a low-leverage situation. But Pages’ hasty decision put the Dodgers in a tight spot.
Andy Pages recently recovered and returned to the Dodgers lineup after a pitch from the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bubba Chandler fractured his left hand. The Dodgers activated him on September 21, just in time for the playoffs. He finished the regular season with a .274 BA, 23 home runs, and 85 RBIs.
In the only postseason game Pages played this year, the outfielder went hitless in his 4 at-bats against the Braves.
Meanwhile, a Dodgers’ top prospect has earned a spot on the team’s October roster during the division series.
Josue De Paula gets October call up
21-year-old Josue De Paula’s brief stint in the big leagues has impressed the Dodgers manager and president. The extent of it became evident when the team announced its 2026 NL Division Series roster on Saturday. The Dodgers included Josue De Paula as a left-handed bat off the bench.
His role in October will be limited to pinch-hitting opportunities. Though the role is unfamiliar to De Paula, he is happy to get the opportunity.
“I was shocked. I was happy,” De Paula said, per USA Today. “There was a lot of emotions going on at the same time. A lot of thoughts going into it, like envisioning how this is going to be. I’m just going along for the ride and see how everything comes to me.”
Initially called up on September 11, De Paula played 11 games for the Dodgers, batting .323 with 1 homer, 7 RBI and 11walks. He made his major league debut against the Miami Marlins.
“I think what we saw is a really good idea of the strike zone, quality of contact,” Roberts said about De Paula, per Dodger Blue. “I think that he’s really unflappable, good heartbeat that translates into the postseason.”
Roberts also revealed that Dalton Rushing was their other option for the role. But Rushing is still not fit enough to contribute behind the plate as a catcher and has gone hitless in his last 7 games since August 1. He is currently recovering from a partial tear of his right UCL.