Lackey lands spot on NLDS roster

Though veteran right-hander John Lackey isn't expected to start in the National League Division Series, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon opted to include on him on the 25-man roster for the best-of-five showdown with the Washington Nationals.

Lackey's status for the NLDS was up in the air after Maddon announced Wednesday that Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, Jose Quintana, and Jake Arrieta would comprise his rotation, but the club decided to include him as a bullpen option and potential replacement for Arrieta, who continues to deal with a tender hamstring.

Lackey, who managed a 4.59 ERA over 170 2/3 innings in 2017, made one relief appearance this year, tossing an inning out of the bullpen Sunday in his team's regular-season finale. Throughout his 15-year career, Lackey, a three-time World Series champion, has made three postseason relief appearances, most recently tossing a scoreless inning for the Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of the 2013 World Series.

"I've seen 'Lack' come out of the bullpen and get a hold in a World Series game before," Lester, his teammate in Boston in 2013, told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. "That's one person I'm not worried about."

Here's how the Cubs' 25-man roster breaks down:

Pitchers (11)

Carl Edwards Jr., Kyle Hendricks, Brian Duensing, Jon Lester, Justin Wilson, Mike Montgomery, John Lackey, Pedro Strop, Jake Arrieta, Jose Quintana, Wade Davis

Catchers (2)

Alex Avila, Willson Contreras

Infielders (7)

Tommy La Stella, Ian Happ, Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist, Addison Russell, Anthony Rizzo

Outfielders (5)

Albert Almora, Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward, Leonys Martin, Jon Jay