The Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday designated starting pitcher Bud Norris for assignment. Their decision to do so created room for Alex Wood’s return and seemed inevitable giving the forthcoming numbers crunch.
While active rosters are expanded in September, the Dodgers faced the challenge of reinstating multiple players from the 60-day disabled list, thus needing room on their 40-man roster. “It was obviously a tough decision,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“But where we’re at on the 40-man and with guys coming back, we wanted to get Alex back.” Wood returns as a left-handed specialist who will exclusively be used out of the bullpen. Wood missed time due to an impingement in his left elbow, then to recover from a debridement.
Los Angeles acquired Norris from the Atlanta Braves in a five-player trade at the end of June. The right-hander was immediately slotted into the rotation in place of an injured Clayton Kershaw.
“He came over in a situation where we were in a tough spot with Clayton being down and starting pitching in flux. He pitched well for us, then the injury kind of got in the way,” Roberts said.
“It was a battle for him. He’s a Major League pitcher but for our roster right now, the last couple of weeks, it just made sense to get Alex (Wood) going.”
Norris went 3-3 with a 5.40 ERA in his first 10 games (eight starts) with the Dodgers. Soon after returning from the disabled list (back injury), he was sent to the bullpen in late-August, used as a spot starter on Aug. 31, and made relief appearances Sept. 9 and Sept. 18.
The right-hander was initially slated to face the Arizona Diamondbacks last weekend, but that start instead was given to Brock Stewart. “The role, as far as opportunities for Bud, it was going to be tough to find opportunities for him to pitch,” Roberts explained.
Strange as it may seem, the Dodgers appear to be flush with multiple options for their rotation as the regular season draws to a close and potential postseason games lie ahead.
