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Heading into the second weekend of June, the crazy carousel which we call the Dodgers disabled list takes another positive turn, this time promising to dip into the single digits by the end of the current homestand.
Another day, another injury to a player on the Dodgers. Or at least it seems that way, especially to the pitching staff. The latest to incur an injury is starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy. He left Thursday’s game after four innings with a blister on his right index finger.
The Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday selected the contract of right-hander Brandon Morrow and placed left-handed pitcher Alex Wood on the 10-day disabled list with left SC joint inflammation in his neck/upper-back area. Wood’s stay on the disabled list can be retroactive to May 27, if needed.
There’s plenty of good news heading into this weekend’s injury report, with the possible return of third baseman Justin Turner sometime next week capturing the headlines of many Dodgers outlets across the baseball blogosphere. What’s more, the current injury count on the disabled list has finally dwindled down to the single digits, a trend that many hope continues into the summer months.
While there are still a few lingering issues that have affected the general makeup of the big league 25-man roster, injuries have not had a significant impact on the overall performance of the Dodgers so far in 2017. Veteran lefty Rich Hill is prepared to be reinstated from the 10-day disabled list to face the Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon, and with a little bit of good fortune, one or two other players may soon follow in his footsteps.
Admittedly for many fans of the Dodgers, veteran lefty Rich Hill wasn’t the first member of the original starting rotation thought to have been destined for a stay on the 10-day disabled list so early in the season. But while this move is more of a precautionary measure than a required need, it’s probably safe to say that Hill’s stay will result more towards the minimum amount of time instead of an elongated period. Even so, it surely doesn’t hurt to take a look at the depth chart beyond the current starting five.
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Several scenarios have become much more clear since we published our initial 25-man roster projections for the Oklahoma City Dodgers just under a week ago, especially the prospective components of the pitching staff. The position player portion of the roster will remain pretty much the same; however, the starting rotation will potentially consist of a group of Triple-A veterans, with the exception of one of the organization’s top starting prospects, right-handed sinkerballer Trevor Oaks.
For many fans of the Dodgers, it’s beginning to become an annual occurrence — overwhelming optimism about a stacked rotation in the winter, eventually turning into genuine concern about the prospective starting pitching crew as Opening Day draws near. What was once a highly talented staff extending to the rafters at Triple-A Oklahoma City now has a few gray areas even at the big league level.
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While last week’s injury report brought on a bit of concern from many fans of the Dodgers, the outlook for this week is much better, as the two-week mark before the season opener is quickly approaching and the projected 25-man roster becomes a bit more defined.
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With the arrival of Opening Day now hovering right around the three week mark, much of the fan focus has steadied on the prospective starting rotation of the Dodgers, as each passing day seemingly has one small happening or event which somehow affects the future makeup of the pitching staff.