It’s currently all hands on deck for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they are in a tight National League West race with just two weeks remaining in the regular season.
The Dodgers bullpen looks to be getting some reinforcements in the coming days as Tony Cingrani and John Axford both threw their first rehab games with High-A Rancho Cucamonga in the California League Championship on Friday.
It appears they both came out of it feeling healthy and are expected to be activated on Monday before the start of the Dodgers’ three-game series against the Colorado Rockies. However, manager Dave Roberts isn’t certain how he’ll use either, via David Wilhelm of MLB.com:
“They both came out of it well,” Roberts said. “They’re both going to join us Monday. I don’t know in what spot [they will be used]. I think having Cingrani and Ax back out there is a good thing, but I haven’t decided how we’re going to use them — or when.”
Cingrani has not appeared in a Major League game since June 6 due to a shoulder injury, so the Dodgers will definitely proceed with caution considering how long it has been since he last pitched.
Cingrani is on the 60-day disabled list, which will require the Dodgers to make a move on the 40-man roster in order to activate him. The southpaw tossed a scoreless inning in his rehab game for the Quakes, issuing one walk while striking out two.
Axford, who the Dodgers acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays just before the non-waiver trade deadline, has been sidelined since Aug. 12 due to a broken fibula. He went 0.2 innings in his rehab appearance, allowing a run on a walk, wild pitch and a double.
