Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias has spent the majority of the season working out of their bullpen, but the club expects to change his role in 2020, manager Dave Roberts told Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com and other reporters Monday.
“We project him to be a starter for us next year,” Roberts said, “and many years to come.”
Urias entered the majors as a hyped 19-year-old prospect in 2016. He started in 15 of 18 appearances that season, but because the Dodgers were monitoring his workload as a rookie, he only totaled 77 innings. Urias nonetheless thrived over that span, pitching to a 3.39 ERA/3.17 FIP with 9.82 K/9 against 3.62 BB/9. The hope then was that Urias would offer similar or better production over a larger number of innings going forward, but he instead underwent a major procedure – anterior capsule surgery on his left shoulder – in June 2017 and combined for just 27 1/3 innings between that year and last season.
Set to turn 23 next week, Urias has returned from his injury (and a May domestic violence arrest, for which charges weren’t filed) to serve as one of the strongest members of a somewhat shaky bullpen. He’s hands down the top lefty option in a relief corps that has dealt with significant injuries to veteran southpaws Scott Alexander (our since June 7 with forearm inflammation) and now-Cardinal Tony Cingrani (out all season because of shoulder issues). Through 37 1/3 innings as a reliever, Urias has notched a 1.93 ERA/3.59 FIP with 8.44 K/9, 3.13 BB/9 and a 44.6 percent groundball rate. Adding to his value, Urias has given the Dodgers more than one inning in most of his appearances.
As the NL-leading Dodgers take another shot at a World Series this year, they’ll consider deploying Urias as one of their main setup men, per Roberts. Beyond that, with Hyun-Jin Ryu and Rich Hill scheduled to become free agents over the winter, there will be room for Urias in the Dodgers’ rotation.
So not resigning Hill?
The Dodgers will keep signing Hill to 3 year deals until his arm literally falls off.
He can do a Sox/Wakefield deal…year to year until he retires.
Wouldn’t rule it out but Ryu will be their #1 priority
Hopefully he doesn’t beat up another girlfriend
glad you got your facts straight before posting this unnessicary comment.
Spot on DarkSide!! Feel free to pull up the facts Dickson Maz, it’s public record.
I think this is clearly the right call… as I think if he were on just about any other team in baseball he’d already be in the rotation there. This kid is obviously very talented and if he can get his act together off the field and stay healthy I think he could be a very good, if not elite SP in the majors for years to come!
If Hyun-Jin Ryu and Rich Hill leave, the Dodgers could potentially go after Gerrit Cole, Cole Hamels, or Stephen Strasburg in free agency.
Don’t think so with rookies May and Gonsolin ready to take their place.
it will be interesting to see whether Strasburg ops out. He’d be giving up $75 million, but if he actually makes 30+ starts this year, I’m guessing he would. Probably just get a couple years added by the Nationals to the three years he has left on his current deal.
Seems more likely the Dodgers would re-sign Ryu and go with:
Ryu
Buehler
Kershaw
Urias
May/Gonsolin
Then allocate funds to the bullpen (Smith or Watson) and prioritize extensions with Bellinger and Seager.
The most overrated team in the majors.
Most overrated comment by someone pretty ignorant
How is he wrong?
Overrated by definition: “have a higher opinion of (someone or something) than is deserved, assess too highly, overestimate, overvalue, rate/prize too highly, think too much of, exaggerate the worth of, attach too much importance to”.
Definitely, not the Dodgers! By definition sounds more like Washington that can never win a playoff series let alone a Division regardless of projections…
The team with the best record in baseball is overrated… ok. They’re not good, I guess. You’re right. How could we be so short sighted! If only they were better.
Because they have the best record and run differential? So over rated
No knowledge of baseball!!
That would be NYY and that crappy rotation. Astros will make quick work with them.
I would be shocked if they don’t re sign ryu.
For now, Urias can watch the Braves eventual collapse.
AAA title though!
Blah blah blah… copy/paste the same comment in response to every article
Couple of objections with this post. First, drop the word “hyped” in most contexts, and certainly here. Hype means making exaggerated claims. How were the claims for Urias exaggerated? Not. So a poor word choice. Second, Urias hasn’t been used as a “lefty option” out of the pen yet this year so far and it is doubtful he ever will be, at least in the regular season. His use has strictly been as a long reliever, and a spot starter in planned bullpen games. He’s been used for 2-3 innings with the same number of days off in between for all of 2019 with the plan apparently being stretching him out to be a starter again, if not this season, then next. Converting him to a situational role for the postseason could happen but it would be a totally different one than he’s be in all year.