Dodgers Select Kyle Hurt

5:48pm: Los Angeles has officially announced Hurt’s promotion. Victor Gonzalez was optioned in a corresponding move. To create space on the 40-man roster, L.A. transferred Varland to the 60-day injured list. His season is over because of a knee issue.

12:43pm: The Dodgers are planning to select the contract of right-hander Kyle Hurt, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan. He’s started 16 games in the minors this year (plus another nine relief outings) but will work primarily out of the bullpen in Los Angeles.

Hurt, 25, was a fifth-round pick by the Marlins in 2020 who went to Los Angeles alongside lefty Alex Vesia in a trade that sent Dylan Floro from L.A. to Miami. The 6’3″, 240-pound righty posted fairly nondescript numbers in his first two professional seasons but has put himself on the prospect map in 2023 with 88 1/3 innings of 3.87 ERA ball and, more interestingly, a ridiculous 39% strikeout rate between Double-A and Triple-A. As is often the case, that ability to miss bats at an elite level is accompanied by some shaky command (11% walk rate). Still, Hurt’s strikeout rate is the highest among the 613 minor league pitchers with at least 70 innings so far in 2023.

To his credit, Hurt has tamped down that walk rate a bit since moving up the minor league ladder. After walking 11.8% of his opponents in Double-A this year, he’s issued walks at a much tidier 8.6% clip in 23 1/3 Triple-A frames. He’s also seen his ground-ball rate jump from 44.2% in Double-A to 52.1% in Triple-A.

As a college arm (USC) who was drafted in 2020, Hurt was a lock to be added to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster this winter, as opting not to do so would’ve left him eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. The Dodgers were never going to leave an arm capable of missing bats at this level unprotected, so one way or another, his contract would’ve been selected sooner than later. They’ll opt to take a look at Hurt down the stretch and evaluate him for a possible role in the postseason bullpen. While Hurt wasn’t on the 40-man roster at the time the postseason eligibility deadline passed back on Sept. 1, he can be added to the roster as a replacement for any number of injured Dodgers, by virtue of the fact that he was at least in the organization prior to Sept. 1.

The Dodgers have a staggering ten relievers currently on the 15-day or 60-day injured list. Each of Yency Almonte, Tyler Cyr, J.P. Feyereisen, Daniel Hudson, Joe Kelly, Jimmy Nelson, Alex Reyes, Wander Suero, Blake Treinen and Gus Varland is currently shelved with an injury. They’ve patched things together with a characteristic hodgepodge of little-known names and veteran reclamation projects, getting key innings from waiver-wire closer Evan Phillips, minor league signee Ryan Brasier and resurgent veteran Shelby Miller — among others. Hurt will join that group and vie for a spot in the playoff bullpen with a big showing in the season’s final three weeks.