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Dodgers Sign Chris Stratton

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The Dodgers have signed right-hander Chris Stratton to a major league deal, per a team announcement. Right-hander Bobby Miller was optioned to the minor leagues to make room on the active roster, while right-hander J.P. Feyereisen was designated for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for Stratton. Stratton’s signing was first reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed, though it is a major league contract.

Stratton, 34, was a first-round pick by the Giants back in 2012 and made his debut in 2016. He mostly pitched as a starter during those early years in San Francisco, but he was traded to the Angels prior to the 2019 season and in the years since then has been used almost exclusively as a reliever. The right-hander has bounced between Anaheim, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Texas, and Kansas City over the years, compiling a rather pedestrian 4.63 ERA (93 ERA+) and 3.96 FIP across 406 2/3 innings of work over the past six seasons. That includes a stretch of solid middle relief work with the Pirates, Cardinals, and Rangers for whom he pitched to a 3.91 ERA (109 ERA+) with a 3.51 FIP.

The right-hander’s work with the 2023 World Series champion Rangers was enough to earn him a two-year, $8MM guarantee from the Royals prior to the 2024 season that included an opt-out opportunity prior to the 2025 offseason. Stratton’s performance in Kansas City was not exactly what the Royals were hoping for, however, and he exercised his player option for 2025 after a rough campaign last year where he posted a 5.55 ERA in 57 appearances. Things continued to go poorly for Stratton this season, as his ERA ballooned all the way up to 7.94 in 17 innings of work before he was designated for assignment and eventually released by Kansas City earlier this week.

Those rough numbers may make it seem surprising that the Dodgers would bring Stratton into the fold on a big league deal, but his peripheral numbers do offer some reason for optimism. Stratton’s .443 BABIP this year is much too high to be sustainable, and his 58.5% strand rate suggests some bad luck when it comes to sequencing as well. The righty sports an above-average ground ball rate with improved strikeout and walk rates relative to last year. If he can pitch closer to his 4.13 FIP and 4.02 SIERA going forward, he could be a valuable middle relief piece for a Dodgers club that has a whopping 14 pitchers on the injured list.

Stratton’s addition means the end of the line for Feyereisen, at least in terms of his time with the Dodgers. Feyereisen has split this year between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, posting a lackluster 11.25 ERA in four innings of work overall. Feyereisen had a couple years of legitimate big league success, with a 1.90 ERA and a 3.44 FIP across 80 1/3 innings of work with the Brewers and Rays from 2021-22. He missed the entire 2023 season due to injury, however, and since he returned he’s struggled to a 9.00 in 15 innings. He also struggled at Triple-A with the Dodgers last year, but his brief stint with Arizona’s Reno affiliate saw him post a 2.25 ERA in ten outings. The Dodgers will now have one week to either work out a trade involving Feyereisen or attempt to pass him through waivers.

Dodgers Option Hyeseong Kim

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The Dodgers optioned infielder Hyeseong Kim and right-hander Bobby Miller this evening. They also reassigned non-roster invitees Giovanny Gallegos, Eddie Rosario, David Bote, Michael Chavis and top prospect Dalton Rushing to minor league camp.

Additionally, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Dustin May will open the season as the fifth starter as Tony Gonsolin is ticketed for an injured list stint. Manager Dave Roberts told Dodgers Territory yesterday that was likely to be the case, as Gonsolin recently tweaked his back while lifting weights.

Kim entered camp as the favorite for the second base job. The Dodgers signed the lefty-hitting infielder to a three-year deal that guaranteed $12.5MM. While that’s a relatively modest investment, L.A. traded Gavin Lux to Cincinnati a few days later. That seemingly opened the path for Kim to step in at the keystone, but the Dodgers evidently have some concerns about how his bat will translate to open the season.

Offensive impact has been the question dating back to Kim’s time in Korea. Evaluators credit him as a good baserunner and plus defender. He hit .304 over eight KBO seasons but was never much of a power threat. Last season’s 11 home runs represented a career high. The 26-year-old infielder struck out 10 times in 31 plate appearances during his first MLB camp. He hit .222 with one homer in 14 spring games.

Starting Kim in the minors provides Roberts some flexibility at second base. The Dodgers could turn to any of Miguel Rojas, Enrique Hernández or Chris Taylor — all of whom would otherwise play utility roles. Alternatively, they could bring Tommy Edman back in from center field to play second. That’d open center field for Andy Pages or James Outman, but neither of them have had especially impressive Spring Trainings.

The Gonsolin injury resolves L.A.’s biggest camp battle: the fifth starter competition between him and May. Both pitchers missed all of last season rehabbing surgeries. Gonsolin underwent a 2023 Tommy John procedure. May required a flexor repair in ’23 and needed to undergo emergency esophageal surgery last summer after suffering a life-threatening throat tear while eating. His season debut will be his first major league appearance in nearly two years.

May rounds out what will be a five-man rotation for the time being. Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki and Blake Snell will hold the top four rotation spots. Yamamoto and Sasaki are respectively tabbed for Games 1 and 2 during next week’s Tokyo Series matchup against the Cubs.

Dodgers Notes: Kim, Ohtani, Miller

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Hyeseong Kim figures to have a clear path to a role as the Dodgers’ regular second baseman after the club traded Gavin Lux to the Reds earlier this winter. Even so, L.A. is keeping their options open with the longtime KBO infielder. According to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, the Dodgers are planning to try Kim in center field this spring.

Kim, 26, has played second base for the vast majority of his career but also has significant experience at shortstop alongside fairly brief cameos in the outfield corners and at third base. Kim is already being utilized at both middle infield positions, but now the club appears poised to give Kim opportunities in center as well in the hope that he can provide them with a left-handed option at the position. Switch-hitter Tommy Edman figures to be the club’s starting option at the position this year, but he’s been a far better hitter against left-handed pitching throughout his career to this point. Other alternatives to Edman like Enrique Hernandez, Chris Taylor, and Andy Pages are all right-handed, while lefty center fielder James Outman appears to have fallen several places down the club’s depth chart at this point.

That creates an opportunity for Kim, who is coming off a .326/.383/.458 season for the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes. If Kim struggles offensively in his first taste of big league action as his countryman Ha-Seong Kim did during his debut 2021 campaign with the Padres, it’s at least theoretically possible that the Dodgers could eventually opt to utilize veteran infielder Miguel Rojas or even Edman as their regular second baseman, relegating Kim to more of a utility role. If that were to come to pass, Kim having the versatility to handle center field against right-handed pitching would be a major asset for the Dodgers given their heavily right-handed bench and center field options.

Elsewhere on the roster, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani continues to work towards his return to the mound after missing the 2024 season due to elbow surgery. Plunkett notes that manager David Roberts relayed to reporters that Ohtani touched 95 mph on his heater during today’s bullpen session. That’s a noteworthy development after he oscillated between 92 and 94 mph during last week’s session. Roberts also added that Ohtani incorporated his cutter into the bullpen session today, a change which he described as a “big step.” 

The star’s projected timeline for a return to the mound has not changed, as he’s expected to first begin pitching in games sometime in May. Even so, it’s surely encouraging for Dodgers fans that their superstar remains on the right track and is making good progress as he navigates a tricky rehab process that will require him to balance rehabbing his arm as a pitcher and preparing for the regular season as a hitter.

Plunkett also relayed an update on right-hander Bobby Miller, who was struck in the head with a 106mph comebacker during the first Spring Training game between the Dodgers and Cubs on Thursday. Miller appears to have suffered mild symptoms as a result of the incident, previously telling reporters he was only dealing with “headaches and drowsiness.” Even so, Miller won’t be back in games for the Dodgers for a while yet. He relayed to Plunkett that he’s “got to pass some steps” before being cleared to resume baseball activities, and the first box that needs to be checked is for Miller to be completely symptom-free before he resumes workouts and eventually returns to games. Miller is in the mix for the fifth starter job to open the season, but both Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May appeared to be more likely candidates for the job entering Spring Training.

Evan Phillips: “Opening Day Is Off The Table” Due To Shoulder Rehab

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Reports from last week indicated that Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips might begin the season on the 15-day injured list, as his offseason throwing work was delayed until January due to a small tear in the tendon of his right rotator cuff.  Phillips confirmed his status to reporters (including the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett) on Friday, saying that “Opening Day is off the table,” even though he doesn’t expect to miss much time.

Some positive steps have already been taken in that direction, as Phillips said his shoulder has felt good during his ramp-up work in camp.  This includes his first proper bullpen session of Spring Training, which took place yesterday.  The Dodgers figure to take Phillips along pretty slowly in camp to make up for his lost prep time during the offseason, yet the early indications are promising.

Phillips emerged as the Dodgers’ closer in 2023 by converting 24 of 27 save chances and posting a 2.05 ERA over 61 1/3 innings.  That ERA shot up to a 3.62 mark over 54 2/3 innings in 2024, due in large part to a more baseline amount of batted-ball luck — Phillips had a .219 BABIP in 2023, and a .298 BABIP last season.  The right-hander’s SIERAs over both seasons were virtually identical (3.08 in 2023, 3.15 in 2024) and his walk rate increased from a very strong 5.6% to an only decent 7.5%.  Most of Phillips’ struggles last year came in one brutal six-outing stretch in July that saw him tagged for a 19.64 ERA over just 3 2/3 innings of work, but he righted the ship over the last two months of the regular season.

The good form continued into October with 6 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball in the NLDS and NLCS, except Phillips’ shoulder injury then kept him off the World Series roster.  Phillips said he received a PRP injection in his shoulder in November, though an MRI in December still showed “some damage,” hence the adjustments to his offseason throwing routine.

Phillips’ health status was undoubtedly a factor in the Dodgers’ decision to sign Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates this offseason, fortifying the end-game innings just in case Phillips does have to miss any time.  Michael Kopech’s status is also a question mark, though Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya) that Kopech is set to “touch the mound” for a brief throwing session tomorrow.  Reports last month indicated that Kopech is dealing with some forearm inflammation, and while the Dodgers didn’t think the situation was too serious, Kopech has indeed been limited in his throwing during Spring Training.

In other Dodgers pitching news, Bobby Miller updated the media on his condition after the right-hander was struck in the head by a Michael Busch line drive on Thursday.  Miller told Ardaya that he is dealing with some headaches and drowsiness, and Roberts said yesterday that the team would continue to monitor Miller through concussion protocol.  All in all, it seems as though Miller has thankfully emerged relatively unscathed from the scary incident.

Poll: The Dodgers’ Rotation

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The Dodgers have long been expected to utilize a six-man rotation this year in order to accommodate Shohei Ohtani, and have accordingly assembled a deep group of arms. Last week, however, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman revealed that, with Ohtani not expected to debut as a pitcher until sometime in May, the Dodgers intend to open the season with a five-man rotation. Four of those spots will go to Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki. That fifth spot appears to be up for grabs, with the two leading candidates being a pair of arms that missed the 2024 season entirely due to injury: right-handers Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin.

The duo have been on very similar tracks for much of their respective careers. Drafted in the third and ninth rounds of the 2016 draft respectively, May and Gonsolin were both top-100 prospects for the Dodgers who made their big league debuts in 2019 and looked good in their brief cups of coffee. May posted a 3.63 ERA in 34 2/3 innings, while Gonsolin posted a 2.93 ERA in 40 innings. Both took on larger roles in 2020 and finished top-five in NL Rookie of the Year voting that year.

It was at the outset of the 2021 season where the pair’s careers begin to diverge. May has routinely been brilliant when healthy, but “when healthy” is a key caveat. May has started just 20 games and thrown 101 innings total over the past four seasons. That’s mostly been due to multiple elbow surgeries, and just when his arm looked to be healthy last summer, he suffered an esophageal tear that required surgery and sidelined him for 2024.

Gonsolin has been healthy long enough to build up a more sustained track record, but that playing time has come with ups and downs. In 2021, the righty posted a strong 3.23 ERA but a 4.54 FIP due in no small part to a bloated 14.2% walk rate. Gonsolin was sensational in 2022, logging a 2.14 ERA in 24 starts (130 1/3 innings) as he cut his walk rate by more than half and struck out a solid 23.9% of opponents faced. The success was short-lived. Gonsolin struggled badly across 20 starts in 2023 before undergoing his own Tommy John surgery, which wiped out his entire 2024 season.

May brings excellent rate stats to the table, with a 3.21 ERA (132 ERA+), a 3.59 FIP, and a 24.1% strikeout rate over that aforementioned stretch of 2020 starts between surgeries. He’s also just 27 years old. Between that youth and his limited on-field reps to this point in his career, it’s not outlandish to suggest that May could have a higher ceiling than even his strong career numbers suggest. Gonsolin has more experience pitching in big league games. The 31-year-old’s phenomenal 2022 season is also by far the best work either player has put forward in a given season. May has five-plus seasons of MLB service and can’t be optioned without his consent. Gonsolin will reach that same threshold 20 days into the season but for now has one minor league option left.

There are other candidates for the fifth spot, but none come close to matching the experience of May and Gonsolin. Bobby Miller is a former top prospect who delivered a strong 2023 season, but he was one of the worst pitchers in baseball last year. Landon Knack, Ben Casparius, and Justin Wrobleski are all healthy and available as depth starters after each debuted in 2024. Of the three, only Knack has substantial big league playing time under his belt. The 27-year-old’s 3.65 ERA in 69 innings last year could make him the next man up behind May and Gonsolin, but he still appears to be further down the depth chart than the two returning righties.

It’s worth reminding that franchise legend Clayton Kershaw is slated to start the season on the 60-day IL. Younger arms like Emmet Sheehan, Kyle Hurt and River Ryan are all recovering from Tommy John surgery performed during the 2024 season. Gavin Stone had shoulder surgery in October and isn’t likely to pitch this year. Fellow righty Nick Frasso is a well-regarded arm but isn’t likely to be in the Opening Day rotation mix after missing the 2024 season due to shoulder surgery performed last offseason. That length list of arms is a testament to the organization’s depth and also a good reminder that whoever opens the season as the No. 5 starter is hardly a lock to hold a rotation spot all season. The Dodgers will probably cycle through 12-plus starters this season.

Be that as it may, there’s plenty of intrigue surrounding the Opening Day staff. Assuming everyone remains healthy, how do MLBTR readers think the Dodgers’ fifth starter battle will play out? Will the club go for May’s upside and relative youth? Will they instead turn to Gonsolin’s more substantial MLB track record in hopes he can replicate his All-Star 2022 campaign? Will one of the less-experienced arms break out and claim the role? Have your say in the poll below:

Gavin Stone “Very Unlikely” To Return This Year

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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced to reporters that right-hander Gavin Stone is still experiencing shoulder soreness and is “very unlikely” to return this year. Alden González of ESPN was among those to relay the news on X.

Stone landed on the IL September 6 due to right shoulder inflammation. The plan was for him to be shut down for about ten days, at which point the club would decide on a path forward based on how he felt. It seems that not much progress has been made and so the path back to the club has narrowed.

Prior to this injury, Stone was the most reliable member of a rotation that had suffered a great number of injuries. He tossed 140 1/3 innings over 25 starts, with both of those figures still leading the team. The only player close to him in those categories is Tyler Glasnow, who is also unlikely to come back this year, so Stone will finish 2024 as the team leader in those two categories. He had a 3.53 earned run average in that time as well as a 20% strikeout rate, 6.4% walk rate and 44.2% ground ball rate.

The health of the Dodger rotation, or lack thereof, has been an ongoing story throughout the year. Dustin May, River Ryan and Emmet Sheehan each required season-ending surgeries earlier in the campaign. As mentioned, Stone and Glasnow are both on the IL and unlikely to be healthy before the season’s done. Tony Gonsolin and Clayton Kershaw are also on the IL but still could contribute in the coming weeks. More on them below.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto also missed about three months due to a rotator cuff strain, though he is now back on the active roster. That’s a bit of positive news amid all the negative stuff, though there are questions there as well. Yamamoto returned before being fully stretched out and has only thrown four innings in each of his two outings since coming back. The kid gloves are apparently going to stay on, as Roberts said the club will continue to give him more than four days of rest between starts for the rest of the season and maybe into the playoffs as well, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times on X.

Around Yamamoto, the rest of the rotation has recently consisted of Jack Flaherty, Landon Knack, Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller. Miller has an 8.52 ERA on the year and is being optioned today, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic on X, Miller’s second optional assignment of the year. Buehler has also struggled, with a 5.54 ERA on the year. Knack has a strong 3.70 ERA but in just 56 career innings at the major league level. Flaherty is having a great year but there are some health concerns with him as well, as he had back problems with the Tigers that reportedly scuttled a deal to the Yankees before the Dodgers acquired him instead.

Whether the Dodgers will replace Miller in the rotation or simply use bullpen games to finish the year remains to be seen. They are off on Monday, which could perhaps help them get by with just four starters, though Yamamoto’s restrictions complicate things. The club is a virtual lock for the postseason but the remaining games on the schedule are still meaningful. They are only 3.5 games up on the Padres in the West and only two games ahead of the Brewers for the second bye through the Wild Card round, with the Phillies currently holding the top spot.

Even if the Dodgers are able to cruise into a first-round bye, building a playoff rotation is going to be a concern. Perhaps Gonsolin or Kershaw could help out, depending on how things develop over the next few weeks. Kershaw has been on the IL since late May due to a bone spur in his left big toe. He threw an 84-pitch bullpen session today, per Gonzalez on X, which is perhaps a good sign that he could still be a factor soon but the next steps aren’t clear.

As for Gonsolin, he underwent Tommy John surgery in September of last year and is currently on a rehab assignment. His first outing lasted two innings and the second went 2 2/3. Per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, Roberts says Gonsolin will try to get through four innings in his next outing and then the club will talk about where to go from there. “It’s still a longer shot,” Robert said. “But I’m really impressed that Tony has taken this really seriously as a potential opportunity. He’s gonna take another one, and we’ll see from there.”

There are lots of moving parts and the club still has a chance to have a solid rotation consisting of Yamamoto and Flaherty with perhaps some combination of Knack, Buehler, Kershaw or Gonsolin in behind the front two. There even seems to be some non-zero chance that Shohei Ohtani takes a mound before the season is done, though that still seems like a real long shot.

The club and its fans know very well that a flimsy rotation can sink an otherwise strong season. Just last year, the Dodgers won 100 games but were quickly swept out of the playoffs by the Diamondbacks when injuries reduced their postseason rotation to Miller, Lance Lynn and an obviously-injured Kershaw. That will make their swirling rotation a key storyline in the coming weeks.

Dodgers Select Zach Logue

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The Dodgers announced that they have reinstated right-hander Joe Kelly from the 15-day injured list and selected the contract of left-hander Zach Logue. Righties Bobby Miller and Michael Grove were optioned in corresponding moves. Righty Tyler Glasnow was transferred to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot for Logue.

Logue just signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers last week. He had previously been with Atlanta but elected free agency after being designated for assignment. Since he signed after the end of August, Logue isn’t eligible to join the Dodgers for the postseason, but he’ll give them a fresh arm in the bullpen as they look to get through the regular season.

Despite briefly being on Atlanta’s roster, Logue hasn’t yet pitched in the big leagues this season, but his results on the farm have been good. He has made 25 appearances in the minors, 12 of those being starts. In his 97 1/3 innings, he has allowed 2.59 earned runs per nine. He has struck out 23.2% of batters faced while limiting walks to a 7.1% walk rate.

Since signing with the Dodgers, he made one start at Triple-A, lasting three innings. Perhaps he will provide the club with a multi-inning arm out of the bullpen, though Miller’s option also creates a hole in the rotation. The club also gives Yoshinobu Yamamoto more than four days between starts, meaning occasional bullpen games or spot starts are necessary.

Whatever shape it comes in, Logue’s contributions with the Dodgers should allow him to add to a spotty major league résumé. Once a notable prospect with the Jays, he went to the Athletics in the March 2022 trade that sent Matt Chapman north of the border. But Logue put up a 6.79 ERA with the A’s in 2022 and went to the Tigers on waivers. With Detroit, he put up a 7.36 ERA in 2023 and lost his roster spot.

That gives him a career ERA of 6.88 in 68 major league innings but his minor league results have been more encouraging this year. If he manages to hold onto a 40-man roster spot through the winter, he has less than a year of service time and can be retained well into the future but he’ll be out of options next year.

As for Glasnow, he landed on the 15-day IL August 13 due to right elbow tendinitis. It was revealed a few days ago that he has a sprain and is unlikely to return to the team this year. This transfer doesn’t close the door to a return in the playoffs. The 60-day count is retroactive to his initial IL placement, so he could technically be reinstated in the middle of October if he can return to health.

Dodgers To Select Ben Casparius

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The Dodgers will promote right-hander Ben Casparius before tomorrow’s game against the Cardinals, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. The team will be able to open a 40-man spot for Casparius by transferring River Ryan to the 60-day IL, but it is not yet clear how they will find room for him on the 26-man roster.

Casparius, 25, joined the Dodgers organization as a fifth-round selection in the 2021 draft. He has been promoted mid-season all four years of his career thus far, going from the Complex League to Single-A in 2021, Single-A to High-A in ’22, High-A to Double-A in ’23, and finally, Double-A to Triple-A in ’24.

In 2022 and ’23, Casparius struggled to adjust following his promotions, but this year, he hit the ground running with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club. After putting up a 3.32 ERA and 3.15 FIP in five starts at Double-A, he has a 3.54 ERA and 4.34 FIP in 13 starts at Triple-A. His strikeout rate briefly plummeted in Oklahoma City, but after a month-long stint on the IL, he came back firing on all cylinders. Casparius has a 3.44 ERA, 2.56 FIP, and 35.5% strikeout rate over his last five starts. He was especially dominant in his latest outing against the Round Rock Express on Sunday, tossing six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and no walks.

Baseball America ranks Casparius as the No. 20 prospect in the Dodgers system, while MLB Pipeline has him at No. 23. FanGraphs isn’t quite as high on the righty, ranking him at No. 39. While he is currently working as a starting pitcher, all three sources agree his future most likely lies in the bullpen, presumably as a multi-inning, middle reliever. To that point, Casparius will join the Dodgers bullpen – not the rotation – during his first stint with the big league club (per Ardaya).

There is no word yet on who Casparius will replace on the active roster. One might have thought the Dodgers would option Bobby Miller back to Triple-A following his rough outing tonight (4 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 2 HR, 1 K), but Dave Roberts suggested otherwise after the game. The manager told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register), “I thought [Miller] finished much better than he started and look forward to the next [start] being even better.” Indeed, Plunkett notes in no uncertain words that Miller will continue to fill Tyler Glasnow’s spot in the rotation for the time being.

Aside from Miller, the Dodgers’ only pitchers with options are starter Gavin Stone and relievers Alex Vesia and Michael Kopech. Simply put, it’s extremely hard to imagine the team would send any of those arms to Triple-A. Therefore, unless the Dodgers are planning to place a pitcher on the IL, their only other choice would be to DFA someone like Brent Honeywell Jr. or Joe Kelly. Kelly has struggled since returning from a shoulder injury in July (5.59 ERA in 12 G) but he is a proven veteran on an $8MM contract. Honeywell, on the other hand, has a 1.96 ERA in 18 1/3 innings with L.A., but neither his underlying numbers nor his track record are nearly as impressive.

Dodgers Recall Bobby Miller, Activate Ryan Brasier

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The Dodgers added a pair of right-handed pitchers to the active roster today, promoting Bobby Miller from Triple-A Oklahoma City and activating Ryan Brasier from the 60-day injured list. To free up space on the 26-man roster, right-hander Michael Grove and left-hander Justin Wrobleski were optioned to Triple-A. The Dodgers already had an open spot on the 40-man after designating Amed Rosario for assignment on Monday.

Miller, 25, has had a rough go of it in his sophomore season. After pitching to a 3.76 ERA and 3.93 SIERA in his rookie campaign, the righty had mixed results over his first three starts in 2024, putting up a 5.40 ERA and 3.22 SIERA in 11 2/3 innings pitched. He then spent the next two months on the IL with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Miller returned to the mound in mid-June but struggled tremendously over his next four outings, giving up 19 earned runs in 17 1/3 innings (9.87 ERA). He struck out only nine, walked 12, and allowed five home runs – and least one in all four starts. His fastball velocity was also significantly slower; his four-seam averaged 99 mph in 2023, 98.3 mph over his first three starts in 2024, and just 96.8 mph in his last four starts before his demotion. Following what was arguably the worst start of his big league career (4 IP, 9 ER against the Phillies on July 9), he was optioned to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club.

Unfortunately, Miller hasn’t looked much sharper at Triple-A. In three starts after being sent down, he gave up nine runs (eight earned) on 11 hits, with matching 18.3% strikeout and walk rates. He has not regained any of his missing fastball velocity either; his four-seam averaged 96.5 mph in his latest Triple-A outing on August 9. That being said, the Dodgers might simply have run out of other options for the starting rotation. Earlier this week, the team announced that top prospect River Ryan would undergo Tommy John surgery and ace Tyler Glasnow would hit the 15-day IL with elbow tendinitis. Wrobleski started on Friday, and Landon Knack was optioned after pitching four innings in relief on Tuesday. Miller is the only other healthy starter on the 40-man roster.

Wrobleski collected the win against the Cardinals yesterday, but the 24-year-old didn’t exactly look sharp. He gave up four runs on three homers in five innings of work, striking out three and walking two. The southpaw has a 4.68 ERA and 5.14 SIERA in 25 big league innings this year, to go with a 5.23 ERA and 5.03 FIP in four starts at Triple-A Oklahoma.

Thus, Miller will take the ball in today’s Players’ Weekend contest against the Cardinals. Barring a particularly poor performance, he could remain in the rotation until Glasnow is ready to return. The All-Star right-hander likely won’t miss much time, with Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reporting that Glasnow “feels fine” and did not even want to go on the IL in the first place. His IL placement is retroactive to August 13, so he will be eligible to come back to the team on August 28.

Meanwhile, Brasier will return to pitch out of the Dodgers bullpen for the first time since April. He has been out for nearly four months nursing a right calf strain. Although his early-season performance was uninspiring (4.63 ERA in 12 games), the 36-year-old was dominant for the Dodgers after they acquired him last season (0.70 ERA in 79 games), and the team will hope he can contribute in the late innings down the stretch. Despite his mediocre ERA, he pitched to a 3.21 SIERA in April, almost identical to his 3.29 SIERA with L.A. in 2023. On top of that, he looked sharp against minor league competition during his Triple-A rehab stint, tossing eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts and only one walk. What’s more, his average velocity was up on both his four-seam and sinker compared to his radar gun readings in April.

Grove, 27, has a 5.18 ERA in 33 appearances for the Dodgers this year. However, his 3.20 SIERA is much more promising, and he will head to Triple-A to wait in the wings as additional bullpen depth. Despite his unsightly ERA, he has looked like a solid multi-inning reliever when he’s taken the mound for the Dodgers this year. Yet, considering his mixed results – including a poor outing yesterday – and his optionability, it comes as little surprise that the Dodgers chose to send Grove down to make room for Brasier in the bullpen.

Dodgers Place Tyler Glasnow On Injured List

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The Dodgers placed Tyler Glasnow on the 15-day injured list shortly before tonight’s matchup with the Cardinals. It’s the second IL stint of the season for the lanky right-hander, who is dealing with elbow tendinitis. Rookie southpaw Justin Wrobleski was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City and will make his fifth big league start this evening.

While there had not been any indication that Glasnow was battling injury, the Dodgers announced yesterday that they were moving his scheduled start back from tonight to Saturday. As Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic observes (on X), it seems likely the Dodgers will turn to Bobby Miller to take the ball tomorrow instead. Miller has been on optional assignment since shorty before the All-Star Break but is traveling with the MLB club on the taxi squad. Miller has continued to struggle over three Triple-A starts since being demoted. He hasn’t pithed in a week, though, so he’ll likely be recalled.

There’s nothing to suggest that Glasnow is in for an extended absence. Losing him for at least two weeks is nevertheless another blow to a rotation that has gotten hit hard by injury. The Dodgers are without Yoshinobu Yamamoto because of a rotator cuff strain and have been without Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May and Emmet Sheehan all season. Each of Gonsolin, May and Sheehan have undergone significant arm surgeries. Top prospect River Ryan is joining them in that regard. He’s headed for Tommy John surgery and might be out until 2026.

Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler recently returned from extended injury absences. Miller lost a couple months to a shoulder problem and has looked like a shell of his rookie self since returning. The Dodgers acquired Jack Flaherty in one of the biggest deadline deals, though he’s not without health questions himself. Rookie righty Gavin Stone has stepped up as a surprisingly crucial rotation piece, taking the ball 22 times and turning in a 3.63 ERA through 121 1/3 innings.

Wrobleski’s appearance tonight is expected to be a spot start. That’d leave L.A. with a rotation of Flaherty, Stone, Kershaw, Buehler and Miller for the next few weeks. They’ll obviously hope for Glasnow to return in short order. Their offseason trade acquisition has been fantastic when healthy, working to a 3.49 ERA while striking out more than 32% of batters faced over 22 starts. This season’s 134 innings is already his career high in any major or minor league season.

Durability has long been the biggest question with Glasnow, who lost most of the 2022 season to Tommy John surgery. His IL placement early this year was a lot less concerning. Glasnow was out for a minimal 15-day stint around the All-Star Break because of lower back inflammation — an injury break that also served as a check on his escalating workload.

The Dodgers felt relatively comfortable with their place in the division at that time. Hot streaks by the Padres and Diamondbacks have closed the gap, cutting L.A.’s lead in the NL West to two games. The Dodgers remain a near lock to make the postseason, but they’re not cruising to the division title the way that most had expected.

Getting healthier by October still remains the team’s biggest priority. Their rotation was decimated by injury by the time the playoffs rolled around a year ago. They went into the postseason relying on Miller and a clearly diminished version of Kershaw who was pitching through a shoulder injury that required surgery. The Diamondbacks swept them out of the Division Series on their path to the NL pennant.

The Dodgers aren’t at last year’s panic level right now. Flaherty has pitched like a potential Game 1 starter this year. Glasnow may be back well in advance of the postseason. Yamamoto is hoping for a return late in the regular season; he threw a 17-pitch simulated game this afternoon as he starts to rebuild his arm strength (relayed on X by Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times). There’s still a path for the Dodgers running a playoff rotation comprising Glasnow, Yamamoto, Flaherty and one of Stone or Kershaw.

Los Angeles will get some help on the pitching staff tomorrow, albeit in the bullpen. DiGiovanna tweets that the team will reinstate Ryan Brasier from the 60-day injured list. The righty has been out since late April on account of a significant calf strain. L.A. already has an opening on the 40-man roster after designating Amed Rosario for assignment earlier in the week.

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