One of the few weaknesses on the Los Angeles Dodgers roster this season has been their inconsistent bullpen, where injuries and underwhelming performances have attributed to the group’s overall struggles for much of the first half.
The club is currently shorthanded in terms of left-handed relievers, as a number of projected key contributors at the start of the season have been limited by injuries. Tony Cingrani recently underwent season-ending surgery on the labrum in his left shoulder and Scott Alexander has additionally missed time with a forearm injury.
Sidelined since the middle of June, Alexander has slowly inched closer to returning to game action, having recently thrown off a mound for the first time since being placed on the 10-day injured list.
The 29-year-old was with the Dodgers for their three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, but he is not expected to travel to Colorado. Instead, Alexander will remain in Arizona, where he will face batters at Camelback Ranch, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
Scott Alexander will remain in Arizona and start throwing to hitters at Camelback Ranch later this week in preparation for a minor-league rehab assignment.
In 28 appearances this season, Alexander has posted a 3.63 ERA, 5.03 FIP and 1.39 WHIP with nine strikeouts against seven walks over 17.1 innings pitched.
Though he has historically been tough on left-handed batters, Alexander has uncharacteristically struggled against the same split this season. Lefties are hitting a surprising .364/.400/.576 against him with one double and two home runs in 33 at-bats.
On the flip side, Alexander has held right-handed batters to a minuscule .143/.268/.257 slash line across 41 opportunities.
Without Alexander for the time being, the Dodgers’ bullpen currently consists of left-handers Caleb Ferguson and Julio Urias. Given the lack of depth, it’s no surprise that Los Angeles is being linked to some of the top available left-handed relievers ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.
In addition to Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand and San Francisco Giants closer Will Smith being named as targets, the Dodgers are reportedly interested in acquiring Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez, who figures to be one of the most sought-after relievers in the event he is made available.
