The Los Angeles Dodgers opened camp with a surplus of starting pitchers that was quickly eroded as the week progressed. Amid the search for a fifth starter as Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu were on the recovery trail, Brett Anderson underwent surgery to repair a bulging disk in his back.
Anderson was projected as the Dodgers’ fourth starter come the regular season, and his absence led to Alex Wood’s importance increasing. Wood was skipped over in a start due to left forearm tightness, but has since rebounded without issue.
The Dodgers then appeared to have their rotation set with Mike Bolsinger beating out Brandon Beachy and Zach Lee. However, Bolsinger suffered an oblique strain — throwing the rotation for a spin once more.
It’s opened the door once again for Beachy and Lee, with Carlos Frias entering the picture, and perhaps Ross Stripling on the periphery. While Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged he’s focused on Frias and Lee, the first-year manager is giving Stripling a look, per Bill Plunkett of the OC Register:
Dave Roberts said 5th Starter Sweepstakes "really locked in on" Carlos Frias and Zach Lee. But Ross Stripling will start Tues v #Padres
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) March 26, 2016
Roberts on Stripling: "We're going to put eyes on Ross. … He's got weapons. Whether he's in mix (for 5th spot) that remains to be seen"
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) March 26, 2016
Prior to Bolsinger going down with injury, Roberts said Stripling wasn’t under consideration for the fifth starter job due to his relative inexperience. In three relief appearances this spring, Stripling has thrown six scoreless innings, allowed one hit and has six strikeouts to three walks.
The Dodgers added Stripling to their 40-man roster last November to protect against losing him in the Rule 5 Draft. Stripling was selected by the Dodgers in the fifth round of the 2012 draft and missed all of 2014 due to Tommy John surgery.
He opened last season with Low-A Great Lakers before quickly being promoted. In his lone start for the Loons, Stripling dominated over four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks, while striking out four batters.
Stripling was then promoted to Double-A Tulsa for the remainder of the season. The right-hander was 3-6 with a 3.66 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over 13 starts for the Drillers.
