LOS ANGELES – Just when the Dodgers’ rotation finally was getting healthy again, left-hander Justin Wrobleski was placed on the injured list Sunday with left forearm inflammation.
Wrobleski’s rotation spot will be used in the bullpen for the time being with right-hander Kyle Hurt recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City less than a week after he had been optioned back to the minor leagues.
An All-Star in July for the first time in his career, Wrobleski’s decline over his past four starts has been stark.
Since allowing five runs, and four home runs over six innings against the Seattle Mariners on July 28, Wrobleski has pitched to an 8.69 ERA over his last 19 2/3 innings. Before the downturn began, Wrobleski was carrying a 2.62 ERA over his first 17 appearances (16 starts).
In 21 appearances (20 starts) this season, Wrobleski is 11-5 with a 3.56 ERA. His 126 1/3 innings are a career high, surpassing his 123 1/3 combined innings last season from the minor leagues, the regular season with the Dodgers and the postseason.
After his start against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, when he gave up four runs on a pair of two-run home runs, Wrobleski gave no indication that he was having any physical issues.
“Yeah, I feel all right,” he said after the outing. “It’s just part of a long season, part of something I got to get ready for for years to come. And yeah, just trying to lean on people that have done it, and continue to try to take care of my body the best I can, and feeling as good as I can right now.”
In retrospect, “feeling as good as I can right now,” seems less like the challenge of late-season fatigue.
Right-hander Tyler Glasnow is set to come off the injured list following lower back pain, but he still has one more minor league rehab start to make.
Because of off days Thursday and Aug. 24, however, the rotation will not need a replacement before Glasnow returns, likely during the Aug. 25-30 road trip to Atlanta and Detroit.
Hurt gives the Dodgers an extra bullpen piece after right-hander Jonathan Hernandez went three innings Saturday and was not available Sunday.
In April, Hurt returned from more than two years away following Tommy John surgery. He is 3-1 with a 4.46 ERA in 37 appearances (one start) this season.
DODGERS REFLECT ON TOMMY JOHN
Dodgers pitchers like Hurt, Shohei Ohtani and Evan Phillips owe a debt of gratitude to former left-hander Tommy John, who died Saturday. John was 83.
The surgery done on John’s elbow in 1974, and subsequently named after the pitcher, has been performed on countless pitchers as young as high-school age, while extending careers that otherwise would have ended.
Former Dodgers team doctor Frank Jobe pioneered the procedure where a ligament was taken from another part of the body, or a cadaver in some cases, and used to replace a frayed ulnar collateral ligament.
John pitched 12 seasons before the surgery and another 14 after it was performed. He was 124-106 with a 2.97 ERA in 355 appearances pre-procedure and 164-125 with a 3.66 ERA in 405 appearances once he returned.
John spent time with six different clubs, including the Dodgers from 1972-78 and the Angels from 1983-84.
“We are saddened to hear the news of Tommy John’s passing today,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said. “Tommy was an exceptional pitcher throughout his career in Major League Baseball, and his courageous role in becoming the first to have surgery that would go on to bear his name can’t be overstated. His impact both on and off the field has been felt by ballplayers of all ages and will be for generations to come.”
Despite making a significant impact on and off the field, John has not been selected to the Hall of Fame.
CARRY THE LOAD
The struggles of closer Edwin Diaz have only heightened the recent challenge facing the Dodgers’ bullpen.
With Ohtani out of the starting rotation since he made a start on July 3, the bullpen has been operating with one less pitcher essentially to cover the same amount of innings.
The Dodgers have kept their six-man rotation intact without Ohtani, but a roster spot that had been reserved for the bullpen all season is now being used on a starter.
“Obviously, having one less guy down there is noticeable,” left-hander Jack Dreyer said. “But Shohei is the best player in the world, and he’s picked us up countless times. And so for the bullpen to be able to do our part and pick up the team in that regard is good.
“It’s matter of picking each other up and whenever the phone rings, whoever’s name is called is ready to do their job.”
Left-hander Alex Vesia is trying to keep the same mindset amid the new challenge.
“I think how we go about our business in the bullpen doesn’t change,” Vesia said. “We’re able to focus on the innings we need to cover. It’s always nice to have Sho out there so his return will be great. I think that we’re really good at focusing on one pitch at a time, one out at a time.”
UP NEXT
Dodgers (LHP Blake Snell, 0-1, 5.00 ERA) at Rockies (RHP Tomoyuki Sugano, 12-5, 4.43 ERA), Monday, 5:40 p.m. PST, SportsNet LA, 570 AM, 1020 AM