Brett Anderson turned in a successful start on Friday night for Triple-A Oklahoma City in Game 3 of the Pacific Coast League championship series. He allowed one run on three hits and had five strikeouts over five innings.
The rehab assignment was Anderson’s second since he was put on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 23, retroactive to Aug. 21, with a blister on his left index finger. His first didn’t not go nearly as well, with the southpaw allowing six runs (five earned) in just two innings.
Anderson labored to the tune of 61 pitches, and his immediate future was thought to be in limbo after the outing.
But that no longer appears to be the case for Anderson now that he has a bounce-back start under his belt.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the club expects to activate the 28-year-old from the DL this week but isn’t certain if Anderson will start or be utilized as a reliever, via Time Warner Cable SportsNet LA:
“Brett threw well [Friday]. He’s going to come back and meet us in Los Angeles. I think he’s going to be active, and we have to figure out to what capacity. Starter or reliever.”
Anderson only managed to make two starts after returning in August from back surgery. His 2016 debut was limited to just one inning after Anderson suffered a mild left wrist sprain. He’d already allowed five runs on five hits, including two home runs, prior to exiting.
The minor injury didn’t prevent Anderson from taking his next scheduled turn in the rotation. Though, that too was an abridged outing due to injury — the blister that eventually required a stint on the disabled list.
The issue was something Anderson revealed he’d dealt with since his final rehab start with Oklahoma City. Shoulder Anderson be sent to the bullpen, he’ll join Alex Wood as left-handed-starters-turned-relievers for the final month of the regular season.
