In what turned out to be a very surprising development Tuesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Dodgers have announced that rookie Julio Urias will temporarily rejoin the rotation and start the series finale against the Nationals on Thursday.
Continue reading “Dodgers’ Rotation Turns to Julio Urías Once Again”
With 71 games remaining on the schedule and the hot stove just beginning to percolate, many fans of the Dodgers are wondering if the squad has what it takes to make a playoff run in the second half of the year — most specifically in the starting pitching department.
Continue reading “Can Dodgers Field a Formidable Starting Rotation for Playoffs?”
The Dodgers will take another step in attempting to bolster their starting rotation on Thursday when the club activates lefty Hyun-jin Ryu from the 60-day disabled list to start the series opener against the Padres.
Continue reading “Ryu Set for Thursday Start, Urías Likely Headed to OKC”
After completing his longest rehab outing since having Tommy John surgery in April of last year, right-hander Brandon McCarthy got one step closer to the Dodgers‘ starting rotation Wednesday night, coming just one out shy of throwing a full four innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Continue reading “Dodgers Injuries: McCarthy Stretched Farther, Ryu on Deck”
Many fans are wondering at what point the Dodgers will begin stirring the pot as the hot stove season quickly approaches, yet if the team can bring back a productive Yasiel Puig next week, and a healthy Brandon McCarthy, Hyun-jin Ryu and Andre Ethier sometime in July, the club may be in a position to transform the roster without even having to make a trade.
Continue reading “Dodgers Injury Notes: McCarthy, Ryu, Ethier & Puig”
Triggered by a taxed bullpen and the need for an emergency starter, the Dodgers added right-hander Mike Bolsinger and lefty reliever Luis Avilan to the 25-man roster on Monday, and may be prepared to employ several other personnel changes as a number of players are on the doorstep of returning from injury.
Continue reading “Dodgers Injury Notes: Van Slyke, Ryu, Montas & More”
Despite being under heavy scrutiny from both the media and the fans, the Los Angeles Dodgers are still among the contending squads in an underachieving National League West, but could find themselves slipping if some of their first quarter tendencies hold true through the early summer.
Continue reading “Dodgers Aim to Improve as Roster Decisions Loom”
If the current five members of the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ starting rotation can find a way to battle and stay effective for about another four to six weeks, veteran help may be arriving to provide some much needed vigor and support. However, if one or more of the present starters takes a turn for the worse, the club may have to turn to the farm as an alternative in the interim.
Continue reading “Dodgers Injury Notes: McCarthy, Ryu Nearing Rehab Starts”
With the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ disabled list count still in double digits, numerous injury reports are finally beginning to emerge which indicate time frames for the returns of several key players.
While it would have been very handy to have outfielder Scott Van Slyke available early this week to DH against the Rays’ lefty tandem of Matt Moore and Drew Smyly, manager Dave Roberts told the media that Van Slyke’s back is still about a week away from sustaining any type of baseball related activities.
Continue reading “Dodgers Injury Notes: Van Slyke, Ethier, Guerrero & More”
Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers finally received a bit of good news on Friday when starting pitcher Hyun-jin Ryu publicly revealed the progress regarding his recovery from last spring’s shoulder surgery.
Alongside teammate Justin Turner, several Dodgers legends, and members of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, Ryu was at Dodger Stadium hosting 300 pre-selected schoolchildren at the annual Children’s Holiday Party.
Dodgers reporter Ken Gurnick of MLB.com first reported the news Friday evening.
“Other than throwing off a mound and going all out, I pretty much can do everything I want to do. I’m on a great program and everything is going great. No discomfort, absolutely nothing,” Ryu explained.
“I have no reason to believe I won’t be ready for Spring Training.”
Although the Dodgers’ medical staff and trainers are monitoring Ryu’s progress closely, the news comes as a bit of relief to many impatient fans who see a very sizable void in the starting rotation.
“My personal goal is to be in the rotation Opening Day until the season ends,” Ryu said.
Despite knowing that his initial physical before the 2013 season revealed a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Ryu pitched with the injury for two seasons and went 28-15 with a combined 3.17 ERA.
His best year was his rookie campaign in 2013, when he hurled 192 innings in 30 games, posted a 14-7 record (including one shutout) and a 3.00 ERA — numbers certainly worthy of a #2 rotation slot.
In light of Ryu’s progress, Dodgers’ President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman considers Ryu a “wild card” in terms of being ready for Opening Day.
Even with Ryu healthy, the Dodgers still need to add rotation depth, unless a solid and dependable option emerges from the farm — most specifically Jose De Leon or Julio Urias.
The Dodgers have also been linked to trade rumors involving the Cleveland Indians and Tampa Bay Rays, as well as talks with free agent starters Mike Leake and Scott Kazmir.
Perhaps the best option of any is Japanese righty Kenta Maeda, who was posted by the Hiroshima Carp on December 10, and has a 30-day window to complete a contract agreement.
Regardless of what the Dodgers decide to strengthen and deepen the starting rotation, a healthy Ryu to begin the season would be very much welcomed by the fans, the players, and management alike.
(Photo Credit: isportsweb.com)
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