The road to recovery has been a long one for Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias after undergoing shoulder surgery in July 2017.
He seems to be on the verge of returning after beginning a rehab assignment with the Arizona League Dodgers and then joining High-A Rancho Cucamonga over the weekend. Urias allowed just one run in 1.2 innings of work for the Quakes.
He touched 95 mph on the radar gun and came out of the outing feeling healthy, setting the stage for another step forward.
According to Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times, Urias is next slated to throw three innings for Double-A Tulsa:
After logging 12/3 innings for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Friday, Julio Urias is slated to throw a three-inning outing for double-A Tulsa this week, Roberts said.
Him throwing three innings is a bit strange considering the Dodgers are preparing him to come back as a reliever, and the plan for Urias changed when All-Star closer Kenley Jansen went down with a heart issue.
The Dodgers bullpen recently received reinforcements in the form of starters Kenta Maeda and Ross Stripling though, so they may not need to speed up Urias’ rehab process after all.
With rosters set to expand to 40 just a couple weeks away on Sept. 1, that seems to be a logical Major League return date for Urias. He last pitched in a Major League game on May 20, 2017, although that was in a starting role.
Of his 23 career Major League appearances, only three have come out of the bullpen.
