The Dodgers introduced they’ve recalled right-hander Landon Knack and left-hander Justin Wrobleski. In corresponding strikes, they’ve optioned righty Michael Petersen and positioned righty Gavin Stone on the 15-day injured checklist with proper shoulder irritation.
At this level, it’s the trail ahead for Stone is pretty unclear. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman says the younger righty shall be shut down for about ten days and the plan from there’ll rely on how he feels at that time, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic on X. It’s more likely to be a notable improvement no matter how that performs out, each because of Stone’s sturdy efficiency this 12 months and the opposite accidents within the membership’s rotation.
Stone made his main league debut final 12 months, making eight appearances, together with 4 begins. He didn’t discover speedy success, as he allowed 31 earned runs in his 31 innings final 12 months, which means he got here into 2024 along with his earned run common at an excellent 9.00.
However he has taken a major step ahead to this point this 12 months. He has made 25 begins for the Dodgers and logged 140 1/3 innings with a 3.53 ERA. His 20% strikeout price, 6.4% stroll price and 44.2% floor ball price are all pretty near common for a beginning pitcher this 12 months.
Subtracting that form of strong efficiency could be unwelcome for any membership however it’s particularly notable for the Dodgers, who’ve been struggling by way of an enormous slate of rotation accidents this 12 months and up to now as properly.
Stone is definitely the one pitcher on the membership at the moment certified for the ERA title, as he leads the staff in each begins and innings pitched. That’s because of nearly each different pitcher on the workers spending at the least a while on the IL. Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin Could, River Ryan and Emmet Sheehan are all at the moment on the IL. Now that Stone is becoming a member of them, that offers the membership eight viable starters at the moment on the shelf.
Could, Ryan and Sheehan are carried out for the 12 months because of main surgical procedures. Yamamoto goes to be reinstated subsequent week however isn’t totally stretched out, having thrown 53 pitches in his most up-to-date rehab outing. Glasnow is a number of steps behind Yamamoto, as he’s enjoying catch however hasn’t but taken the mound, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Occasions (X hyperlink). Kershaw hit the IL per week in the past because of a bone spur in his toe and has an unsure timeline. Gonsolin is making an attempt to come back again from final 12 months’s Tommy John surgical procedure however shall be restricted to reduction work, at finest.
For now, the rotation consists of Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler, Bobby Miller, Knack and Wrobleski. That group shall be welcoming again Yamamoto quickly however, as talked about, he isn’t totally ramped up and would possibly want a piggyback. Flaherty has some harm questions of his personal, as he had again points earlier this 12 months with the Tigers, which reportedly scuttled a commerce with the Yankees and led to him touchdown with the Dodgers as a substitute. Buehler has a 5.67 ERA this 12 months and Miller is at 7.79. Knack and Wrobleski every have lower than 50 main league innings pitched.
It’s a lower than superb state of affairs for a membership that’s nonetheless enjoying significant video games. The membership’s 84-56 report is tied with the Phillies for the most effective in baseball, however the Central-leading Brewers are simply three video games again, which means a bye by way of the Wild Card spherical isn’t any assure. The division isn’t completely sewn up both, because the Padres are simply 5 video games again of the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks 5.5.
Even when the Dodgers cruise into the postseason, having a banged-up rotation could cause hassle in a brief playoff collection, because the Dodgers know properly. They gained 100 video games final 12 months however their rotation was in shambles by the point the postseason rolled round, which led to them being shortly swept by the Diamondbacks.
At this level, it’s nonetheless technically potential that the Dodgers may have a postseason rotation consisting of Flaherty, Yamamoto, Glasnow, Stone and Kershaw, however there are query marks with every of them. That would maybe result in somebody like Buehler, Miller or Knack sliding into the combination merely because of a scarcity of different choices.
