The Dodgers are placing left-hander Alex Wood on the 10-day disabled list due to inflammation in his left SC joint, tweets Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. In a corresponding move, the Dodgers have selected the contract of veteran right-hander Brandon Morrow, shifting fellow righty Brock Stewart to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
[Related: Updated Dodgers depth chart]
Wood informed the Dodgers that he felt he could pitch through the issue, but the team elected to proceed with caution, per Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times (Twitter links). McCullough adds that manager Dave Roberts expects Wood to miss just one start, which is critical given his unexpected dominance early in the year.
Indeed, the 26-year-old Wood has been not only one of the Dodgers’ best pitchers in 2017, he’s been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Through 48 innings this year, he’s logged a 1.69 ERA with a 60-to-15 K/BB ratio and a superlative 68.7 percent ground-ball rate.
Morrow, 32, has an unsightly 5.71 ERA through his first 17 1/3 innings in Triple-A this season, but his secondary stats are more encouraging; the 10-year veteran has posted a strong 17-to-4 K/BB ratio and a 55.7 percent ground-ball rate.
Morrow was a mainstay on the Blue Jays’ pitching staff from 2010-12, but injuries have significantly slowed down his once-promising career. The former No. 5 overall draft pick was one of baseball’s better pitching prospects before arriving in the Majors with the Mariners back in 2007, and while he’s shown flashes of brilliance at times, he’s been unable to remain consistent. In 784 2/3 big league innings (split between the bullpen and the rotation), Morrow owns a 4.16 ERA with 9.1 K/9, 4.0 BB/9 and 16 saves.
Brandon morrow will be interesting
For about 3.2 IP, then the wheels will come off again.
Dodgers getting more creative with their “injuries” at least
I think this a real DL stint. Wood has been their 2nd best starter by far this season.
They said before the season that Kershaw is the only one throwing 200+ innings so that was a hint right there.
Yep. The baseball fan in me hates to see someone pitching as well as Wood ever skipped but it seems like the Dodgers are experimenting with a 7-man rotation and using the DL tactically to get there.
It’s a org wide philosophy. Most of their pitching prospects only go 4-6 innings no matter the pitch count.
It’s “real” in the sense that most MLB pitchers have some sort of inflammation or discomfort that could benefit from going to the 10 day DL and skipping a turn in the rotation.
It’s clear that the Dodgers are using the 10 day DL to run a 6 or 7 man starting rotation and therefore manage the workload of their many starters who have a history of injuries. With off days in the schedule, the 10 day DL is about perfectly timed for a starting pitcher to skip one start., and the team is already telegraphing that Wood will miss just one start. I’d be surprised if Wood pitches more than 160-170 innings this year.
Hopefully its just the 10 days or not too long. Would rather have seen Masterson called up then Morrow.
If Masterson didn’t get shelled yesterday and his previous start, it probably would’ve been him.
Seriously???? Can anyone stay healthy?????
It’s a vacation for these guys by August this team will have everyone back and they won’t know what to do with the full roster
Are there any statistics yet on which teams are using the 10 day DL the most? The Dodgers have to be up there.
The answer to that question will always be the Dodgers :)
Another starting pitcher on the disabled list. What’s next?
At least they aren’t the mariners
Glad to see morrow back in the bigs
Would’ve been great to know he was hurt before I put him in my lineup
Smart move, why take a chance with Wood given the fact he’s having a stellar season
This is an insanely smart move. Taking advantage of the 10 day DL and creating some backbone for an already dominant relief pitching staff. Guys are working hard to backup Ryu and Hills 4 innings. Thinking about it, Gray would be a nice young arm to compliment our 4 spot and have Wood give us a strong 3 spot with Hill at 2. That leaves Maeda and McCarthy staying competitive at 5. But I have a feeling Oakland would want some people we are not willing to give up… so personally I think Ryu should deal with being in relief like Blanton did, or go somewhere like Miami whom needs a starter.