Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias was set to be activated from the 15-day injured list to start tomorrow’s game against the Phillies, but manager Dave Roberts tells reporters (including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic) that those plans have been put on hold after Urias didn’t bounce back fully from Thursday’s bullpen session. Ardaya notes that while Urias has not been shut down from throwing, he’ll be limited to throwing off flat ground for the time being, and will likely need a rehab assignment before he can return to the club’s rotation.
The news is a blow to the Dodgers, who recently put right-hander Noah Syndergaard on the IL where he and Urias are joined by the likes of Ryan Pepiot, Walker Buehler, and Dustin May. Urias was expected to help stabilize a rotation that currently only has four set starters in Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, Bobby Miller, and Michael Grove. While right-hander Gavin Stone is healthy in the minors, Roberts noted that the 24-year-old right-hander isn’t an option for this coming turn through the rotation after the youngster pitched 4 1/3 innings in a start at the Triple-A level yesterday.
That leaves the Dodgers likely set to utilize a bullpen game on Sunday. While Gonsolin would be on regular rest if he were to start Sunday, the Dodgers appeared poised to utilize their coming off-day on Monday to rest their rotation, which a bullpen game on Sunday would still allow them to do. Andre Jackson and Justin Bruihl are the other Triple-A pitchers currently on the 40-man roster for the Dodgers.
As for Urias, his start to the 2023 season has surely not been the platform campaign he was hoping for ahead of his expected free agency this winter. Urias entered this season with a career 2.82 ERA and 3.44 FIP in 599 2/3 innings of work following a particularly stellar 2022 campaign where he led the NL in ERA while finishing top three in Cy Young award voting. All that figured to make Urias perhaps the most coveted free agent of the coming offseason this side of Shohei Ohtani, and while that certainly could still prove to be the case, Urias’s injury woes and pedestrian 4.39 ERA in ten starts this season have done little to boost his resume ahead of his first foray into free agency.
Julio Urias’ homerun rates the last 4 years:
2.2% (2020)
2.6% (2021)
3.3% (2022)
6.2% (2023)
The home run rate in 2021 and 2022 do not concern me. Urias has a low era, low whip and passes the eye test. Because the Dodgers were a high scoring team those years, it was often better for Urias to challenge a hitter and maybe give up a home run to dance around and walk hitters. This year is a different story, his 2024 payday is diminishing rapidly.
His average fastball (in mph) since 2019, according to Statcast:
95.1 (2019) this was his peak speed
94.2 (2020)
94.1 (2021)
93.1 (2022)
91.9 (2023)
baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/julio-urias-6…
This year is a struggle. You see it every time he pitches. Looks like the struggle it is
Boras will work his “magic” to make Urias appear to be the second coming of Randy Johnson in the marketplace. Meanwhile, Urias will coast thru the remainder of this season trying to limit any further damage to his resume.
Because who would want a 27 year old SP with a sub-3.00 ERA in free agency?
If he can’t stay healthy, doesn’t matter what he did in the past.
Do you think a hamstring is going to end his career?
If they have to remove it, yes.
“If he can’t stay healthy, doesn’t matter what he did in the past.”
Tell that to the Texas Rangers
Padres will give Urias an 11 year $400M contract, not to be confused with the 11 year $425M deal with Aaron Nola and the 15 Year $500M deal with Shohei Ohtani. Let’s face it, the SS market has dried up, time for the Padres to find other positions to spend on.
Ohtani will get more than $500M in fewer than 15 years.
Padres will sign a shortstop this coming offseason. Just one in international free agency. Leo DeVries.
Here is a great article about the top of that market that will sign in JAnuary 2024. baseballamerica.com/stories/2024-mlb-international…
Guy was ranting during the offseason how the Dodgers weren’t using him enough and he might leave but he can’t stay healthy this year to actually be used. What a clown.
> and he might leave
Oh no! Anything but that!
The Dodgers should welcome that opportunity. He is about to get very expensive and he is already showing flaws. I think they got most of his best years.
My bet is he’s going to the Astros and the Dodgers will sign Otani unless he’s asking for 500MM. In any case, Go Dodgers!
Mr…hopefully for your sake you don’t make that bet. Similar to LAD, Houston has eschewed long term deals for pitchers. Plus, taking the field will be better odds.
Boras is like Darth Vadar, he’d sell the Astros on the basis of “weakening the Dodgers for a potential playoff matchup” which logically has some appeal to it if you ask me.
If he is Darth Vader then the dodgers organization is emperor Palpatine
But Darth Vader still had good in him and sacrificed himself to save Luke from the Emporer.
It all depends on Soto. If he gets the 400m he wants, Ohtani should hit the 600m mark at least.
Because you heard that from a reliable source, right?
Señor Tities, I’m guessing you have some if you eat a bunch of tortas….Anyway lol it’s just my speculative guess. Boras is a home wrecker he never negotiates with teams that can actually win. He negotiates with the team that will pay out the highest.
Its almost like that is what he’s paid to do..
What a monster
wasn’t talking to you Mr. tiny d*ck.
@john ofc he’s paid to get the highest contract but is it necessarily the best contract. As a player you train your entire career to Win and get paid. Borras only negotiates the highest payday ignoring the best playing days ahead.
So he should negotiate with the teams that will pay out the lowest? Got it. Haven’t been here in about a month, but these dumb comments never disappoint. Keep ’em coming fellas.
@Hanks been getting hammered too much to understand if Borras is such a negotiating savant he should use those skills to land the highest payday with the best teams. Watch Urias land with Seattle or Anaheim or one of those stupid teams.
He needs to take his time. Winning the division doesn’t mean much anymore know that Manfred let half the league in the playoffs.
His 2023 stats are skewed by a rough couple starts his last two. Peripherals are declining but not at the rate suggested in these comments. That doesn’t mean I endorse signing him to a $250 million contract.
baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=uriasju0…
His game logs
His 2023 stats are skewed by a rough couple starts his last two. Peripherals are declining but not at the rate suggested in these comments.
Yearly post season high pressure innings followed by high pressure WBC innings have taken their toll. Imo the hamstring issue is a blessing in disguise to allow Julio’s body to recover a bit. Hopefully he doesn’t have an underlying arm injury that he’s not disclosing and fighting through due to his pending free agency.
Urias’ velocity has dropped each of the last few seasons. There is something more going on than just a hamstring strain. .
Velocity has dropped as his weight has gained. Clearly an inverse correlation.
Trade please, Andrew. The Dodgers are in real trouble now.
Hardly. The dodgers are 2.5 games back of first after getting walked off in 3 of the last 4. They have an entire rotation on the IL, a high-quality IL rotation too, and they were in first like 5 days ago?
Having to call up Bobby Miller was definitely a positive development.
Is this scumbag still pushing women around? Of course, classless LAD covered for him.
Dodgers should move on. Aside from he has been with them since he was 16, and they helped him out, gave him surgery to remove a tumour over his eye, given him every opportunity to be a star here, and he bad mouths them because Walker Buehler got more attention and promotion. Wahhhh
Just a thought: Angels will lose Ohtani. Maybe they sign Urias to make up for it ? Ironically, Ohtani probably signs with Dodgers but we will see.