The Los Angeles Dodgers officially announced Walker Buehler will be called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to make a start Monday in the series opener against the Miami Marlins. The start will be Buehler’s first for the Dodgers.
The organization’s top pitching prospect made his MLB debut last September, going 1-0 with a 7.71 ERA, 5.94 FIP and 2.04 WHIP in eight games out of the bullpen. Buehler began this season in the starting rotation for Oklahoma City, where he is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in three starts.
Buehler has yet to go past five innings or throw more than 80 pitches in any of his outings thus far. He was scheduled to start Sunday for OKC but the game was postponed due to inclement weather.
It’s believed the Dodgers were largely down to deciding between Buehler and Brock Stewart for the spot start. Stewart last pitched on Wednesday, and hasn’t yet reached the Majors this season.
The Dodgers found themselves in need of a starter because of injury and a plan to provide Kenta Maeda with an additional day of rest before his next outing.
The first domino to fall last week was Rich Hill becoming saddled with inflammation in his left middle finger. Though Hill has a history with blisters, his latest trouble is due to a cracked fingernail.
The injury is considered relatively minor, and Hill is expected to be reinstated from the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday. He missed a previously scheduled start last Friday against the Washington Nationals.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers aren’t starting Maeda until Tuesday. He last pitched April 18, throwing 5.2 innings and recording 10 strikeouts for a second time this season.
Prior to announcing Buehler as their starter, manager Dave Roberts ruled out a bullpen game and selecting a reliever to start.
