The Dodgers placed right-hander Michael Grove on the 15-day injured list today, as Grove is suffering from right lat tightness. Left-hander Bryan Hudson was called up from Triple-A to take Grove’s spot on the active roster, and manager Dave Roberts told MLB.com and other reporters that Grove should miss only the minimum 15 days.
Grove missed about six weeks earlier this season due to a groin strain, and he has been up and down from Triple-A a few times this season. Working mostly as a traditional starter but also getting some work as a reliever and as a bulk pitcher, Grove has tossed 64 innings over 15 appearances this season, helping out a Dodgers team that has been hit hard by pitching injuries. Unfortunately for Grove and the Dodgers, his results haven’t been great, as he has a 6.61 ERA and has allowed a lot of hard contact.
The ERA doesn’t tell the whole story, as Grove’s 3.96 SIERA indicates some bad luck for the 26-year-old. Grove’s 6.3% walk rate is well above league average and his 23.5% strikeout rate is around mid-range. While batters are getting good wood on Grove’s offerings, he is also seeing an unusual amount of those balls in play fall for hits, as Grove has a hefty .378 BABIP.
Grove becomes the 11th pitcher on Los Angeles’ current injured list, with various hurlers still sidelined by both short-term or longer-term or season-ending injuries. Despite pitching depth being a problem for much of the season, the Dodgers are still atop the NL West, holding a three-game lead on the Giants entering Sunday’s play. Lance Lynn was acquired at the trade deadline to provide some rotation help, while Clayton Kershaw is expected to return from his own IL stint at some point this week. Roberts also said that Shelby Miller (on the 60-day IL) has recovered from a nerve issue and has started a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League, with hopes of returning to the Dodgers before the season is over.
Grove needs to be sent down and why bring up Hudson when Victor Gonzalez been doing good in the minors.
He will be up for only a couple of days until Kershaw is activated.
No thanks on Victor. He’s terrible
Good or terrible, the Dodgers probably want to wait to bring Gonzalez up just for a couple of days to just be a placeholder for a roster spot.
Phantom IL stint if I ever saw one. Hudson will be up until kershaw (hopefully) gets called up this week.
Hello my Dodger friends… what’s the deal with Pepiot? Is the new plan to not throw him this year, or bring him along very slowly in AAA? Just curious, he seems healthy and an ideal candidate to spot start.
Nobody really knows. He was supposed to be a part of the rotation on day one.
I suppose he’s more hurt than any one of us know or realize. I sure hope I’m wrong and we see him soon. Take it easy Blue!
He’s ramping back up – only pitched 12 innings across his four rehab starts. He’s basically back at spring training mode again, trying to stretch out and show he’s healthy.
Phantom IL stint if I ever saw one. Hopefully Kershaw will be back this week to send Hudson back down.
Phantom IL? ……and if there was such a thing you don’t think that a player(s) would blow the whistle? Someone would spill.
Besides, pitchers fully engage their Lats in the torque created during delivery. Most pitchers consistently are able to follow through to the plate or lessen the strain on the muscle as they fall off to the glove side. However, pitchers getting pummeled to the tune of ERA’s over 6 often times suffer from neck injury or in this case lat injury due to whipping their body around too often to see where the drives off the bats are going. Rest and / or pitching better will help the pitcher heal. We hope for both.
That’s why the pitcher IL got extended to 15 days, to minimize skipping a starter once through the rotation.
Ross Stripling once said the Dodgers did this in his rookie year
If you watched yesterday’s game, you would understand why we think it was roster manipulation, of which the Dodgers are notorious. Grove was scheduled as the opener with Yarborough warming up to face the lefty-heavy bottom part of the lineup. Grove struck out 4 of 5 batters and exited on cue. Something could’ve come up later *insert eyeroll*, but dude was dealing. Personally, they should’ve let him roll til he got in trouble, which is usually the 2nd or 3rd time around. Then, they wouldn’t have had to use that gas can Almonte last night.
All part of whatever plan they’ve got, and because it’s the Dodgers it has to involve a whole lot of math.
Let’s see what Hudson can do. Doesn’t have to start but could be the second man up on a bullpen day if Kershaw ends up needing another 5-6 days. Or throw him in there for an inning or two after pulling the starter. Lynn has has two solo outings in a row so that’s a definite positive.
Hudson hasn’t started a game since he was in low-A ball. He’s just another cannon fodder reliever of the kind Friedman collects, one after another. He’ll be gone pretty much before they can sew his name onto the back of a jersey.
Bring up Landon Knack.
I don’t think I have ever seen a team that has had as many injuries to starting pitchers as the Dodgers this season. If I am not mistaken that is the 7th to a starting pitcher. Plus having one out recovering from TJ already.
Not sure of your count, but it partly depends on whether Pepiot is included. He was supposed to be on the opening day roster but hit the IL before that could happen. I get May, Kershaw, Grove, Syndergaard, Gonsolin and Urias all having spent some time on the IL this year.
I was including Pepiot.
Fair enough.
Braves have had a crazy amount of pitching injuries also.
Starters: Fried, Kyle Wright, I.Anderson, Allard, Soroka, Ynoa.
Relief: Chavez, Matzek, nick anderson, Dylan lee, daysbell,
Its been a crazy year.
That it has. A record number of pitching injuries
Grove’s been optioned only three times this season, so they could have sent him down. I imagine they have to pay him more on the MLB DL than in AAA so I don’t know what incentive they would have to cheat in this case. Maybe they already know they’re going to need to option him two more times later in the season.