4:30pm: Manager Dave Roberts tells reporters that Heaney has a strain in his shoulder as well (Twitter link via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times). The team is still hopeful that Heaney will only need to miss a couple of starts, but he’ll be shut down entirely for the next few days to give his shoulder some rest.
3:38pm: Dodgers lefty Andrew Heaney is headed back to the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his left shoulder, the team announced Friday. Right-hander Reyes Moronta is up from Triple-A Oklahoma City in his place.
It’s the second IL stint of the season for Heaney, who inked a one-year, $8.5MM deal as a free agent early in the offseason. Thus far, he’s only been able to make three starts for the Dodgers, though each of that trio has been excellent. Heaney allowed his first earned run of the season in his lone start between IL stints and is now sitting on a 0.59 ERA and a 23-to-4 K/BB ratio through 15 1/3 frames. Armed with a new slider, Heaney has punched out 36.5% of his opponents this year while inducing chases off the plate at a strong 35.7% clip and recording a terrific 18.5% swinging-strike rate.
The Dodgers didn’t provide a timetable for Heaney’s potential return, though it’s obviously of some concern that this is his second IL stint owing to shoulder troubles. The 31-year-old southpaw originally landed on the injured list back on April 20 and missed nearly two months while that injury mended.
With Heaney going back on the shelf and Walker Buehler out for an extended absence, the Dodgers will lean on Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias, Tyler Anderson and Tony Gonsolin in the rotation. Twenty-seven-year-old righty Mitch White has made four starts so far this season and could be an option to step back into a starting role, and the Dodgers have also given prospects Ryan Pepiot and Michael Grove their big league debuts this season.
The hope is that righty Dustin May will eventually be able to make a return from Tommy John surgery this summer, but he’s still a ways off from being a realistic option. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters last weekend that May has been throwing bullpens and will next throw around four sessions of live batting practice before progressing to the next step (Twitter link via Juan Toribio of MLB.com). May would presumably need several minor league rehab starts before being cleared to join the big league roster, all of which suggests that an August return is possible.
Looks like Heaney has a glass shoulder. Small sample size has been very good so far but if he can’t stay healthy he’s doing more harm than good. Rotation could potentially crater if mean reversion occurs.
That has been his entire career.
David price isn’t an option?
Looks like he hasn’t been stretched out to be a starter… mainly been a one inning reliever this year.
Price hasn’t been used as a starter for years. Technically he got some starts last year but that was really in an opener role. He’ll probably get some more of those in pen games now.
As big as the IFs are for the dodger rotation, if they get healthy that playoff rotation could be lethal. Buehler Julio Gonsolin Kershaw with Anderson Heaney and DMay in the pen
The problem is none of those guys have legit full-season endurance. Hence them getting beat up in the playoffs last year, hence them only breaking through in a very short non-season.
Thank God they are all getting rest now then eh
Hahahaha this guy said urias doesn’t have full season endurance! Honk honk
Urias’s 2021 NLCS ERA was over 10, so yes the guy has endurance problems in a *full* season. In 2019 it was over 7. Some of that was due to mismanagement by Roberts, but the point remains.
Filthy slider! 2nd DL visit! Geez. Slow play his return? I mean like a September return! In the meantime, Dodger Blue has enough arms to keep post season play a reality?
Waste of $. He’s had 3 nice starts but getting anymore is doubtful
Do teams still have insurance for injured players?
Typically, yes.
I don’t know who’d take on the risk of insuring an oft-injured pitcher. The insurance companies aren’t stupid.
Sad to say but probably the reason the Halos didn’t give him an extension. He is solid when he is healthy but is on the bench hurt more than anything. Hope they let him rest for a few weeks and he comes back strong. Rest up Heandog
Lots of inflammation of the shoulder ( LOTS) in baseball right now
Tried to edit and complete last post but function is down
Maybe it has something to do with the stupid new baseball and dudes are having to grip the ball so tight that it locks up all muscles in and attached to the arm.
Dudes started going down like flies right after the cracked down on the sticky stuff.
I don’t remember who but when they started cracking down on spider tack last year there was a pitcher saying we’d see a lot of shoulder and elbow issues this season for exactly that reason. Guys are gripping the ball harder when throwing, leading to more strains
Heaney is talented. Hopefully he’s back soon.
Such a bummer. Dude is so smart and thoughtful, has great raw stuff and stays optimisitc. I really hope his shoulder behaves.
I never understood why this guy wasn’t a good pitcher.
The Dodgers did, then he gets hurt. He had 90 starts in the previous four years and was awful. Two 30 start seasons. One Covid shortened season. So only one season out of the four where he was injured.
He worked on his pitches to fix himself for the Dodgers.. something he didn’t do for the Angels..
Honestly Halo, he’s got the best stuff on the entire staff…by no means the best pitcher, but best stuff no doubt…he’s pure filthy
His last start was more dominating than any starts by a different Dodger Sp this entire year – All 3 hits (inc a Hr) were pure fooled arm swings…Cle never took a good swing vs him the whole game
* Agreed the irony is rich but that’s baseball
You must not watch a lot of dodger baseball. They’ve had some amazing pitching performances this year, including several flirtations with no-no’s. Heany had three great starts but without question the best pitching performances have been gonsolin and a couple of urias starts. Not to mention Kershaws 7 inning 80 pitch perfect game that Roberts pulled.
Heany can be filthy but to say he has the best stuff on this staff is straight up comical
So what is the projection on number of innings for Gonsolin this year. Looking at his history of total innings a limit (he has exceeded highest number ever already) seems appropriate?
Ryan Pepiot was spelled completely wrong.
This youngster should be given more play!
Pepi Tryanot? Diane Pepperpot?
Heaney and the Dodgers have discovered the best way for Heaney to keep the ball in the yard is to keep him off the field…
I think Tyler Skaggs death opened his eyes and made him take along look at his commitment to baseball..Andrew & Tyler were besties..Maybe some partying goin on there.