After it became apparent Tony Gonsolin would not be in the Los Angeles Dodgers starting rotation on Opening Day, Michael Grove and Ryan Pepiot competed during the final weeks of Spring Training to fill his void.
The nod ultimately went to Pepiot, but he too began the 2023 regular season on the 15-day injured list. Pepiot was sidelined by a left oblique strain that he suffered in a final spring tuneup.
“I’m just kind of happy we caught it pretty early so hopefully it doesn’t mean I’m out for too long,” Pepiot said on Opening Day. “Once the symptoms are pretty much gone, then I’ll pick it back up. Hopefully it’ll only be a couple days until I can pick a ball up again.”
Unfortunately for the right-hander, his recovery process was slower than anticipated. After re-starting a throwing program at Camelback Ranch last month, Pepiot is now beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
He is the listed probable to start Friday against the Sacramento River Cats (San Francisco Giants affiliate) in OKC’s first game back from a midseason break.
The Dodgers transferred Pepiot to the 60-day IL on April 21, but he is already eligible to be activated.
Pepiot dealt with some inconsistency upon making his MLB debut had a modest showing with the Dodgers last season, going 3-0 with a 3.47 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over nine games (seven starts). His struggles stemmed from failing to consistently throw strikes as he walked 27 batters in 36.1 innings.
That was a focal point during offseason training and an area where the 25-year-old appeared to be improved during Spring Training.
How Ryan Pepiot can help Dodgers rotation
Considering Pepiot has yet to throw a single pitch this season, his rehab assignment figures to be on the more lengthy side. He conceivably could spend all of July and go into August making rehab starts before the Dodgers would reinstate him.
Pepiot potentially joining the Dodgers rotation late in the year would provide them with a fresh arm and further strengthen the backend as a No. 4 or 5 starter.
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