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Dodgers Reinstate Joe Kelly, Outright Jose Hernandez

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July 19: The Dodgers announced today that Joe Kelly has been reinstated from the injured list to take the 40-man spot of Hernandez. Michael Petersen was optioned to make an active roster spot for Kelly. Their 40-man is now full again so they will have to open another spot when Ryan is officially promoted.

July 18: The Dodgers passed lefty Jose Hernandez through outright waivers and assigned him to their Rookie-level affiliate in the Arizona Complex League, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. Hernandez had already been pitching in the ACL, building up after a layoff between the time L.A. acquired him from Pittsburgh and he began pitching with an affiliate. The move opens up a spot on the 40-man roster, which is presumably earmarked for top pitching prospect River Ryan, who’s slated to make his big league debut this weekend.

Hernandez, 26, was a Dodgers signee out of the Dominican Republic back in 2016. He spent seven years in the system before being selected by the Pirates in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft. Pittsburgh carried Hernandez in their bullpen all season in 2023, letting him work 50 2/3 low-leverage innings while pitching to a 4.97 ERA with a 27.8% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate.

By rostering him all season, the Pirates gained the right to option Hernandez in subsequent seasons. However, the lefty pitched just 5 1/3 innings over seven MLB appearances this season and was hit hard with the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis, yielding a dozen runs in 15 1/3 innings while working with diminished velocity. The Bucs designated him for assignment in June and wound up trading him back to the Dodgers in exchange for cash.

The Dodgers can now keep Hernandez in their system as a depth option without dedicating a 40-man roster spot to him. He’s had a tough 2024 season, but last year’s K-BB profile in the majors was interesting; those strikeout and walk rates were near-identical matches for his marks in his most recent full minor league season with the Dodgers back in 2022, when he posted respective 27.8% and 10% strikeout and walk rates in 59 2/3 innings between High-A and Double-A. Hernandez yielded just a 3.32 ERA that season and induced grounders at a solid 43.8% clip. This year’s velocity dip is concerning, but there’s still reason to think he could eventually emerge as a viable bullpen option somewhere down the road.

Andrew Friedman Discusses Dodgers’ Deadline

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While most of the National League is still on the border of the playoff picture, the Dodgers have no such ambiguity. They’re in their typical position of preparing to buy.

On paper, the team’s biggest question appears to be the roster depth. The Dodgers haven’t gotten much production out of the bottom third of the lineup. They have seven starting pitchers on the injured list at the moment, leading them to go into the All-Star Break with a four-man rotation that includes three rookies. They felt the effects in the weeks leading up to the Break. They’ve taken just four of 12 games this month and have a 20-18 record since the beginning of June.

Despite their recent slump, the Dodgers have one of the more comfortable divisional cushions in the majors. They’re seven games clear of the Diamondbacks and Padres in the NL West. They remain very likely to win the division. Whether they’ll finish in the National League’s top two and secure a first-round bye is more of a question. L.A. is well back of the Phillies for the #1 seed and only holds a one-game edge on the Central-leading Brewers.

The division lead allows the front office to be flexible in which players they target before July 30. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman indicated this week that the Dodgers will focus most of their attention at the top of the trade market. “For us, I don’t think our mentality is different than it’s been in previous years in that we feel we have a really good team and to the extent that we can add really good players we’re going to be aggressive to do so,” Friedman said (link via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). “What appears to be a marginal upgrade is not something we’re going to spend a lot of time on. That doesn’t mean something is not going to happen along those lines but that’s not where our energy and focus will be.”

With very little danger of missing the playoffs, the Dodgers can primarily concern themselves with how the roster will look in October. They anticipate having a lot of impact players back by then. Los Angeles isn’t expecting a long-term absence for Tyler Glasnow. Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and Yoshinobu Yamamoto could be back in August. Clayton Kershaw is building up in the minors as he completes his rehab from last year’s shoulder surgery.

Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller once looked like obvious pieces of the October staff. That’s questionable now. Buehler was rocked over eight starts in his return from a second Tommy John procedure. He has been on the injured list for a month with a hip issue. Miller lost a couple months to a shoulder problem and didn’t look like himself upon returning. The Dodgers optioned him to Triple-A late last week. Dustin May won’t be able to contribute down the stretch after unexpectedly requiring throat surgery in a scary situation.

Glasnow, Yamamoto, Kershaw and Gavin Stone could still comprise a solid playoff rotation. There’s downside with that entire group, though. Yamamoto is rehabbing a rotator cuff strain. Glasnow should easily eclipse his previous career high in innings. Kershaw is a 36-year-old coming off shoulder surgery. This is the first time Stone is getting extended run out of the rotation.

There’s not a ton of value for the Dodgers in acquiring a back-end arm to take a handful of starts in August and September. Like every team, Los Angeles would benefit from adding another high-end starter whom the team would feel comfortable taking the ball in October.

The Dodgers reportedly already made an offer to the White Sox for Garrett Crochet that was turned down. They’ll presumably have continued interest in the AL strikeout leader, who’d certainly qualify as the kind of impact talent to which Friedman alluded. Teams will have questions about how well Crochet will hold up given his innings count, but he’s pitching like an ace at the moment. Jack Flaherty and Yusei Kikuchi look like the top rental starters who’ll be on the market.

Plunkett writes that Friedman downplayed the urgency to add at specific positions on the other side of the ball. The Dodgers haven’t gotten much out of Gavin Lux at second base. They’ve had limited production in both left and center field. Third base has been an issue since Muncy went down. Andy Pages has stabilized the corner outfield spot opposite Teoscar Hernández, but the Dodgers are relying on James Outman in center field after he struggled early in the season.

Getting Betts back in the fold would go a long way toward addressing those problems. He could slide to second base with Miguel Rojas handling shortstop, pushing Lux to the bench. Betts could obviously handle the outfield if need be. As with the rotation, it’s easy enough to argue for an upgrade, but it’s also not clear how many significant players are on the market. The middle infield group looks very thin. Luis Robert Jr. is the crown of the center field class. The White Sox would need a massive haul to deal him thanks to his three years of remaining club control.

Current And Former Top Prospects To Watch As The Trade Deadline Approaches

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Last week, MLBTR's Anthony Franco ran through a handful of under-the-radar trade candidates for teams on the hunt for bullpen help. It was a simple enough premise. While there's rightly a heavy focus placed on high-quality relievers on bad teams (e.g. Mason Miller, Tanner Scott, Carlos Estevez), MLB teams will be casting a wider net than just those obvious trade candidates.

I wanted to do something similar with hitters -- and may still do so -- but as I parsed through some potential options, I was also struck by the likelihood that there are a number of current and former (more of the latter) top prospects who increasingly look like they'll have an uphill battle to earning a role with their current club. Oftentimes, this is due to other prospects leapfrogging them on the depth chart, the team extending a current key player and/or injuries. While today's front offices tend to hoard depth as much as possible the finite number of minor league options a player possesses can put an inherent clock on that depth's shelf life.

Not all of the players highlighted in this exercise are teetering on being out of options, nor is this intended to be an exhaustive list of names in this situation. (If there's anyone you feel I missed, by all means, let me know in the comments and bring them to the discussion!) I'm also not going to focus much on former prospects who've already been passed through waivers/released or those who are performing poorly enough in the minors that they're now DFA candidates themselves.

The aim here is to find some interesting, controllable names still on the 40-man roster who have decent minor league (and in some cases, big league) track records but lack a clear path to an everyday role on their current roster. That sort of player ought to have appeal to rebuilding teams or retooling sellers who are looking to take another shot at contending as soon as next year. Here are a few situations that seem worth monitoring as the deadline draws near:

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Poll: Who Will Win The 2024 Home Run Derby?

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The 2024 All-Star break festivities are already well underway, with the Futures Game in the books and the second of three draft days currently taking place. Tonight, the Home Run Derby will take center stage at 7pm Central time, with these participants:

The winner will get $1MM, with $500K for the runner-up and $150K for everyone else in the field. There’s also a $100K bonus for the player who hits the longest home run. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won last year but opted not to defend his title, so there will be a new champion, though Alonso has two previous titles from 2019 and 2021 and will be looking for a third.

This year’s format will be different from previous versions, with Cole Jacobson of MLB.com providing a rundown. The primary change is that there will be no head-to-head matchups in the first round, as the four players with the most home runs will advance. If two players tie, the longest home run will be a tiebreaker. Previously, the knockout-style bracket system started right away but this year’s version won’t see that until the field has been narrowed to four. Once the knockout stage begins, ties will be settled by 60 seconds of extra time. If the players are still tied, they will engage in three-swing showdowns until they are no longer tied.

In the first two rounds, players with have three minutes, which drops to two minutes in the final round. The three-minute rounds will now have a 40-pitch maximum while the two-minute round will feature a 27-pitch maximum.

The bonus time is also different. Previous versions featured 30 seconds of automatic extra time, which jumped to 60 seconds if the player hit two or more home runs 440 feet or longer. This year, the bonus time will continue until a player record three “outs,” which is a swing that doesn’t result in a home run. If a player hits a home run 425 feet or longer in the bonus period, he will get a fourth out.

Of the eight players competing this year, Henderson has the most homers this year with 28. He is followed by Ozuna at 26, Ramírez at 23, Alonso and Hernández at 19, García at 17, Witt at 16 and Bohm at 11.

Who do you want to win and who do you think will win? Have you say in the polls below!

Who Do You Want To Win The 2024 Derby?
Teoscar Hernández 21.53% (1,921 votes)
Pete Alonso 18.42% (1,644 votes)
Gunnar Henderson 15.56% (1,389 votes)
Bobby Witt Jr. 11.35% (1,013 votes)
Marcell Ozuna 10.65% (950 votes)
José Ramírez 8.18% (730 votes)
Alec Bohm 7.31% (652 votes)
Adolis García 7.00% (625 votes)
Total Votes: 8,924
Who Do You Think Will Win The 2024 Derby?
Pete Alonso 25.99% (1,512 votes)
Teoscar Hernández 22.98% (1,337 votes)
Gunnar Henderson 14.01% (815 votes)
Marcell Ozuna 11.33% (659 votes)
Adolis García 8.44% (491 votes)
Bobby Witt Jr. 7.13% (415 votes)
José Ramírez 5.29% (308 votes)
Alec Bohm 4.83% (281 votes)
Total Votes: 5,818

Dodgers Notes: Kershaw, Heyward, Betts

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Dodgers fans received great news regarding veteran left-hander Clayton Kershaw today, as manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Jack Harris of the L.A. Times) this afternoon. The lefty pitched three innings without giving up a hit in a rehab start at the Triple-A level yesterday, striking out five while walking just one. According to Roberts, Kershaw is set to attempt to build on that strong outing on Friday with a four-to-five inning start. If that next rehab start goes well, the manager went on to suggest that the lefty could then return to the big leagues to make his 2024 debut.

A return to the Dodgers shortly after the All Star break would be a fantastic outcome for Kershaw, who had to be shut down from his rehab just three weeks ago due to lingering soreness in his shoulder. Last night’s start was his first since ramping back up after that shut down, and the fact that he’s already seemingly on the cusp of a return suggests that the soreness that had sidelined him has evaporated entirely. The future Hall of Famer’s return to action can’t come soon enough for the Dodgers, as the dire state of the club’s rotation mix has led them toward calling up right-handed prospect River Ryan just 16 1/3 innings into his season at the Triple-A level.

With both Kershaw and Ryan seemingly poised to join the club’s rotation as reinforcements in the aftermath of the break, the Dodgers are surely hoping the pair can combine with the existing quartet of veteran James Paxton and rookies Gavin Stone, Landon Knack, and Justin Wrobleski to handle starting duties until ace righty Tyler Glasnow is ready to return from the injured list. Walker Buehler and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are also both on the IL but expected to return to the majors at some point this season, while youngster Bobby Miller was sent to Triple-A recently despite the thinned-out rotation mix due to a brutal 8.07 ERA in seven starts this year.

Kershaw isn’t the only veteran help the Dodgers will be getting back from the IL shortly after the break, as Harris also relays that (per Roberts) outfielder Jason Heyward will be ready to return to action after the All Star break and will not require a rehab assignment before returning to the majors. The 34-year-old has taken a step back this year relative to his surprisingly strong 2023 campaign but has still been roughly league average at the plate with a .203/.299/.398 slash line in 42 games this season.

Heyward’s return should add depth to an outfield mix that has relied on struggling youngster James Outman in recent days. Outman entered the campaign likely to be a regular in the outfield for the Dodgers on the heels of an excellent 2023 season but struggled brutally in the early weeks of the season, leading the Dodgers to option him in mid-May. While he’s improved upon his previously brutal .147/.250/.266 slash line since returning earlier this month, Outman’s .273/.333/.273 slash line in six games since coming back to the majors hasn’t exactly inspired confidence in his ability to reclaim a regular role with the Dodgers, and the return of a steadier bat like Heyward’s should be a relief for the Dodgers team that has at times struggled to get production from the bottom of its lineup this year.

Heyward is joined in making progress towards a return by superstar Mookie Betts, who Roberts told reporters (including Harris) has begun to field grounders as he rehab his fractured left hand. Betts has been on the shelf since mid-June with a 6-8 week recovery time expected and isn’t expected back until sometime in August. He seems to still be more or less on track for that return, with Roberts noting (according to MLB.com’s Injury Tracker) that the 31-year-old is “excited” about the progress he’s making.

Betts was in the midst of a MVP-caliber season prior to his injury, slashing an incredible .304/.405/.488 in 72 games that’s made all the more impressive by the fact that he was simultaneously making a relatively seamless transition to becoming the everyday shortstop in L.A. this season. Miguel Rojas has looked good on both sides of the ball in an expanded role since Betts went on the shelf, however, meaning that the star might spent more time at a position more familiar to him such as second base or right field upon his return.

Dodgers To Promote River Ryan Following All-Star Break

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The Dodgers are planning to promote right-handed pitching prospect River Ryan to the majors following the All Star break, according to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. It’s not currently known which specific day Ryan is expected to take the ball, and Ardaya also notes that it’s unclear how long the Dodgers expect to keep the right-hander in the big league rotation. Ryan is not yet on the 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move will be necessary before Ryan can be promoted.

Ryan, 26 next month, was an 11th-round pick by the Padres in the 2021 draft who was acquired by the Dodgers prior to his pro debut in the deal that sent Matt Beaty to San Diego. Ryan raised his prospect profile last season by impressing with a 3.33 ERA and a 23.7% strikeout rate in 97 1/3 innings of work at the Double-A level last year. The start to the righty’s 2024 season was delayed by a shoulder issue, but he returned to the mound in early June and has looked good ever since. He’s been nothing short of dominant in five starts at the Triple-A level this year as he’s posted a 2.76 ERA in 16 1/3 innings of work while punching out 28.8% of batters faced.

That’s a smaller body of work for a prospect to get at the highest level of the minors than is typically expected, but it’s not necessarily a surprise that the Dodgers feel the need to turn to Ryan given the big league club’s rotation woes. Walker Buehler, Tyler Glasnow, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are all currently on the IL, joined Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Emmet Sheehan, and Clayton Kershaw. No one in that latter group has been healthy enough to pitch in the majors this year, and that list doesn’t include right-handed youngster Nick Frasso, who has missed the entire 2024 season due to surgery but is on the minor league injured list. The club’s many upper-level pitching injuries have been further exacerbated by the struggles of youngster Bobby Miller, who has an 8.07 ERA in seven big league starts and was recently optioned to the minor leagues.

That’s left the Dodgers in a somewhat desperate situation regarding the rotation. James Paxton is the only starter currently in the club’s rotation who was an established big leaguer prior to this season, and he’s currently joined by rookies Gavin Stone, Landon Knack, and Justin Wrobleski. While both Stone and Knack have excelled this year, with Stone in particularly quickly establishing himself as among the club’s best options even when the rotation is healthy, Wrobleski has struggled in his brief time in the rotation and the Dodgers lack a fifth starter even with him in the fold. That’s caused the club to start right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. today despite claiming him off waivers from the Pirates just a day ago.

While he’s now seemingly being forced into action by the large number of injuries in the majors, Ryan is nonetheless one of the top pitching prospects in the club’s system. Baseball America currently rates him as the tenth-best prospect in the Dodgers farm, while MLB Pipeline rates him fourth behind only catcher Dalton Rushing, outfielder Josue De Paula, and Frasso. The Athletic’s Keith Law is perhaps highest on Ryan and ranked him 33rd on his preseason top 100 prospects list. Ryan features an upper-90s fastball as part of a four-pitch mix, and services generally seem to be in agreement that the righty has the ceiling of a #2 or #3 starter, though his lack of professional innings seem to give some outlets pause.

Dodgers Claim Brent Honeywell Jr. Off Waivers From Pirates

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10:19PM: The Honeywell claim has now been officially announced, via the Dodgers’ team transactions page on MLB.com.  In the corresponding move, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was shifted from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL, so August 15 now represents the earliest Yamamoto can return from his rotator cuff strain.  Yamamoto has seemingly been making good progress in the initial steps of his recovery, as manager Dave Roberts has said Yamamoto has been playing catch.

1:45PM: The Dodgers have claimed right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. off waivers from the Pirates, as noted by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. L.A. will need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move, though one has not yet been announced.

Honeywell, 29, is best known for his time in the Rays system as a top prospect. A lengthy series of injuries that included Tommy John surgery and multiple elbow fractures left Honeywell to pitch just 103 1/3 innings in professional games from 2018 to 2022. Nonetheless, the righty managed to make it to the majors last year with the Padres. He posted a decent 4.05 ERA in 46 2/3 innings of work with San Diego but was pushed off the roster down the stretch last summer and ended up with the White Sox. He was lit up for seven runs in just 5 2/3 innings of work during his brief stint with the South Siders and departed for free agency over the winter.

Back in February, Honeywell signed with Pittsburgh on a minor league deal and started the season with the club’s affiliate in Triple-A. He pitched to a 4.85 ERA across 39 innings of work with a 19.6% strikeout rate and a 10.1% walk rate during his time in the minors. That somewhat lackluster performance still earned him a brief call up to the majors, however, and Honeywell excelled by the results in that limited showing with a 2.70 ERA in 3 1/3 frames, although he walked one more batter than he struck out in that cup of coffee. Honeywell was designated for assignment yesterday after just a few days in the majors, but he’ll evidently get another chance at the big league level with the Dodgers.

With Los Angeles, Honeywell will continue trying to unlock the talent that made him a top prospect during his time in Tampa. Back in 2017, the right-hander was one of the game’s top pitching prospects after posting a 3.64 ERA and 2.84 FIP in 24 starts at the Triple-A level where he struck out 29.1% of batters faced against a walk rate of just 5.9%. He’s several years removed from those sensational numbers at this point, but his time with the Padres last year showed that even with his current diminished strikeout (20.6% in San Diego) and walk (9.8%) rates he can still be an effective middle relief arm.

While the Dodgers’ bullpen has been among the best in baseball overall this year, they’ve struggled somewhat in recent weeks. Since the calendar flipped to June, the club’s 3.46 relief ERA remains solid, but their 4.18 FIP is bottom ten in the majors and suggests they could be in for some regression as the season wears on. The introduction of Honeywell, who can at least provide the club with another arm in the final weeks leading up to the trade deadline, should allow the Dodgers to help keep their relief options fresh as the club likely contemplates other additions in the coming weeks.

Dustin May Undergoes Esophageal Surgery, Won’t Pitch Again In 2024

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Dodgers right-hander Dustin May underwent surgery earlier this week to fix a tear in his esophagus, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports.  The procedure will keep May from returning to the field this season, as Passan writes that May won’t be able to partake in any physical activity over the next two months as part of his recovery.

The esophageal tear didn’t occur due to any baseball-related activity, and Passan notes that “May sought medical attention for pain in his throat and stomach,” which eventually led to the surgery.  Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times (X link) writes that May felt a “sudden pain” while eating dinner earlier this week.

May had yet to pitch in 2024, as he was still rehabbing from a flexor tendon surgery that took place almost exactly a year ago.  Unfortunately, this latest injury occurred just as May was nearing a minor league rehab assignment, as he had already been taking part in bullpen sessions and other more advanced ramp-ups.  While he still would’ve required a lengthy minor league rehab stint to properly build up his arm, it was expected that May would be back at some point before the end of the season.  Returning as a reliever rather than as a starter, for instance, would’ve allowed May to get onto the mound a bit sooner, and he could’ve been a multi-inning relief weapon or an opener for Los Angeles during the playoffs — akin to his usage during the Dodgers’ championship run in 2020.

The 2024 campaign will now go down as a complete wash for May, and the unique nature of this esophageal surgery makes his latest recovery timeline uncertain.  Two months of shutdown from all physical activity will entirely reset May’s progress, so between the specific recovery process attached to this surgery and then a traditional ramp-up period, it isn’t clear if May will be ready for Opening Day 2025 or if he’ll yet another lengthy setback in his young career.

The former star prospect has a 3.10 ERA over 191 2/3 Major League innings from 2019-23, showing glimpses of the potential that made him a highly-touted prospect during his time in the L.A. farm system.  May started 10 of 12 regular-season games in 2020 before primarily working as a reliever to help the Dodgers win a ring that year, but a Tommy John surgery then limited him to 53 regular-season frames in 2021-22.  May threw 48 innings over nine starts in 2023 (with a 2.63 ERA) before the surgeries to fix both his flexor tendon and a Tommy John revision to address a Grade 2 UCL sprain.

While it seems as though May’s career has still yet to fully launch, he turns 27 in September and has only one year of arbitration eligibility remaining before entering free agency following the 2025 season.  It is too soon to write off May as a productive and effective pitcher going forward once he recovers from his latest procedure, though three major surgeries in a four-year span is certainly as ominous sign for a pitcher who seemed like he was going to be a cornerstone of the Dodgers rotation this decade.

In the short term, the Dodgers now know they won’t getting any 2024 help from one more of the 12 pitchers on their injured list.  The incredibly long list includes more than a rotation’s worth of possible starters, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, and Walker Buehler.  All of that quartet are expected to return at some point in the second half, while May joins Emmet Sheehan and Tony Gonsolin in the season-ending injury group.  (Shohei Ohtani could be considered a 13th “pitcher” out of action, as while Ohtani continues to excel as a designated hitter, the two-way superstar won’t pitch this season as he recovers from his own elbow surgery last fall.)

Unsurprisingly, Los Angeles has been heavily linked to the starting pitching market as the trade deadline approaches, and it would be a surprise if the Dodgers didn’t land at least one extra arm to help solidify this injury-plagued rotation.  Losing May might not impact the Dodgers’ leverage all that much in trade talks since it wasn’t clear how May would be deployed or how much he’d pitch when he did return, yet rival teams are bound to try and score a big return to take advantage of Los Angeles’ obvious need for extra pitching.

Dodgers Option Bobby Miller

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The Dodgers optioned Bobby Miller to Triple-A Oklahoma City this afternoon. Los Angeles recalled reliever Ricky Vanasco to step into the bullpen for the time being.

Miller was the Dodgers’ most reliable starting pitcher by the end of his rookie season. The former first-round pick and top prospect turned in a 3.76 ERA over 23 starts in his debut campaign. He entered this year as the arguable #3 arm behind offseason pickups Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Miller’s year could hardly have started any better, as he tossed six scoreless innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts against the Cardinals in his debut.

Things fell off after that. The Cubs tagged Miller for five runs without allowing him to escape the second inning during his next start. Miller came out of his third appearance with shoulder inflammation. He spent the next two months on the injured list.

The Dodgers activated Miller from the IL on June 19. He has taken the ball four times since that point with dismal results. Miller allowed five runs over 6 1/3 frames at Coors Field. He surrendered three runs over two innings to the White Sox before tossing five frames of two-run ball against the Diamondbacks. Working on a full week of rest, he hit a low point in last night’s start against the Phillies.

Philadelphia tagged Miller for nine runs on 10 hits through four innings. He gave up two home runs and has surrendered at least one longball in each of his last four outings. Miller has issued three walks in every appearance since returning and hasn’t recorded more than four strikeouts in a start. Since his reinstatement, he has allowed 19 runs across 17 1/3 innings. Miller has walked 12 while striking out nine. Opponents are hitting .338/.434/.620 with five homers in 83 plate appearances.

That’s obviously nowhere near the level the Dodgers were expecting. Miller and skipper Dave Roberts each told reporters that the pitcher is not working through any shoulder discomfort (link via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic). Miller has lost a bit of velocity, though, sitting in the 96-97 MPH range with his fastball after averaging around 99 MPH during his season debut. It’s possible there’s something amiss mechanically, although a 96-97 MPH heater should still have plenty of life.

Pitchers must spend at least 15 days in the minors after being optioned unless they’re recalled to replace an injured player. The Dodgers can bring Miller back up on July 25. That could amount to skipping just one turn through the rotation because of next week’s All-Star festivities, but Roberts said the team doesn’t have a specific target for Miller’s return. It’s not out of the question he remains in Triple-A past the July 30 trade deadline.

Miller’s demotion is another hit to what has become a rotation in flux. The Dodgers have placed Yamamoto, Glasnow and Walker Buehler on the injured list over the past few weeks. Glasnow is dealing with what seems to be minor back tightness and should be back in short order. The timeline on Buehler (hip inflammation) and Yamamoto (rotator cuff strain) is less clear. Los Angeles could welcome Clayton Kershaw around the end of this month, but he’s coming back from offseason shoulder surgery.

Gavin Stone, James Paxton and Landon Knack now stand as the top three arms in the L.A. rotation. Lefty Justin Wrobleski made his big league debut over the weekend and will probably get another start. They’re essentially out of other healthy starters. Ardaya reported last night that righty Kyle Hurt, who might’ve been a depth option, is being shut down after experiencing elbow soreness in Triple-A. The Dodgers will probably need to deploy a bullpen game at some point this week to get to the All-Star Break.

With a 7.5 game cushion in the NL West, the Dodgers have some leeway to weather a tough few weeks on the rotation front. They still have plenty of upside for a playoff rotation that could include Glasnow, Yamamoto, Kershaw, Stone, and potentially a resurgent Buehler or Miller. There’s growing uncertainty with the group, though, which raises questions for the front office before the deadline.

The Dodgers have already reportedly made an offer for White Sox breakout lefty Garrett Crochet. Chicago turned it down, but L.A. will surely remain one of a number of teams in that mix. Crochet’s teammate Erick Fedde is also likely to be traded, as are rentals Jack Flaherty and Yusei Kikuchi.

Dodgers Place Tyler Glasnow On Injured List

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The Dodgers announced that they have placed right-hander Tyler Glasnow on the 15-day injured list with lower back tightness. Righty Michael Petersen has been recalled in a corresponding move. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic previously relayed word from manager Dave Roberts on X that Glasnow would be hitting the IL since his back tightened up on Sunday and Ardaya also tweeted about Petersen’s presence in the clubhouse. Per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times on X, the team is hoping it’s a minor issue and that Glasnow could be back shortly after the All-Star break.

Around the All-Star break, teams are generally more willing to give players a stint on the IL even for something small as it can allow the player to miss fewer games than otherwise. With the four-day break coming up next week, Glasnow might only miss a couple of turns through the rotation before returning.

It’s also possible that the Dodgers are using this minor issue and the break to simply get Glasnow a bit of rest. Due to some notable injuries earlier in his career, his career high for innings pitched in a major league season is the 120 frames he pitched with the Rays last year. He’s already at 109 innings here in 2024 and will surely set a new benchmark as long as he returns from this back issue in good form and avoids any other injury stints.

By and large, the Dodgers have seemed willing to pump the brakes on the regular season workloads of their pitchers with the aim of keeping everyone healthy for later in the year and into the postseason. They have been fairly committed to giving their starters more rest than other clubs, often deploying bullpen games or spot starts in order to keep their starters from getting overworked, and this may be part of that as well.

Glasnow’s results have been strong on the year, as he has allowed 3.47 earned runs per nine frames. He has struck out 33.6% of batters faced while limiting walks to a 6.8% clip. He’s also kept 48.2% of balls in play on the ground. Despite those grounders, the home runs have been an issue, with 14% of his fly balls leaving the yard. That’s above the 11.2% league average this year but below Glasnow’s career rate of 15.5%.

In the meantime, the club will have to navigate the next portion of their schedule without those contributions. Justin Wrobleski just came up to make a spot start but is still with the club, so perhaps he will stick around to help cover for Glasnow in the rotation alongside James Paxton, Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone and Landon Knack. The club also has Ryan Yarbrough on the roster for some multi-inning relief work. Kyle Hurt is on optional assignment while prospect River Ryan is in Triple-A but not on the 40-man roster.

Fairly or unfairly, Glasnow has reputation for being injury prone but there’s nothing at this point to suggest this is anything more than a precautionary move. The Dodgers are 7.5 games up on the Padres in the West and, as mentioned, have been on the precautionary side with their pitchers all year.

Nonetheless, the constant rotating of pitchers on and off the IL will be an interesting situation to monitor. Significant rotation injuries seemed to undercut the club in the postseason last year. Currently, the club has Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May and Emmet Sheehan all on the injured list. Sheehan is done for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May and Gonsolin is unlikely to come back this season with his own Tommy John procedure having taken place at the start of September last year.

But the others are all candidates to return at some point in the second half, joining the current rotation mix. Even if a few of those guys suffer setbacks, the Dodgers should have more healthy rotation options in October than they did at that time last year.

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