What It Means:

Coghlan was not in the starting order for the National League Wild Card Game, but he pushes Tommy La Stella to the bench Friday. Coghlan is in left field with Kris Bryant back at home at third base.

Coghlan endured a horrendous slump from the middle to the end of September. Over the final two games, though, Coghlan had three hits in seven at bats with a double and a triple. It's not enough to firmly say that the slump is over, but it is encouraging. He'll face righty John Lackey for the Cardinals, who holds a 4.92 xFIP against lefties on the year. Coghlan finished the year with a 33.0 hard-hit rate against righties, so this isn't a bad spot for him to remove any doubt about a sustained drought.