UPDATE (June 8, 8 a.m. PT): The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list due to a blister on his right index finger.
When Noah Syndergaard signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he expressed hope — if not confidence — their pitching coaches would help him rebound from an inconsistent 2022 season with the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies.
Now 12 starts into his Dodgers career, it’s become apparent Syndergaard may not be long for the rotation. His latest trouble came in a loss to the Cincinnati Reds that saw Syndergaard squander two leads and allow six runs over just three innings pitched.
The outing was his shortest of the season — excluding the one inning Syndergaard pitched against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 9 before a cut/blister on his right index finger forced him to come out.
Following Syndergaard’s rough performance at Great American Ball Park, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the blister and a cut fingernail remain an issue, and the team is going to contemplate a change, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“He’s going through it. He’s been going through it all year. It’s not from lack of effort, preparation, care. But it’s just not working. I know that there’s things with that blister that he’s had to deal with, that he certainly doesn’t want to make excuses for. I know there was a fingernail break tonight that he’s not going to make excuses for.
“And he understands it’s about performance. So I think we’re going to sit down with him. Obviously, I don’t think we can kind of sustain this pace of performance. So I don’t know if it might be an opportunity to give him a chance to kind of get this finger thing taken care of, a reset. Because it certainly, in my opinion, is impeding performance.
“But also, with that, there’s still execution. They’re still putting guys away and sequencing the right way. All that stuff certainly is a factor too.”
Syndergaard didn’t factor into the decision of the Dodgers’ second consecutive walk-off loss, but is just 1-4 with a 7.16 ERA and 1.45 WHIP this season. He’s allowed the third-highest on-base plus slugging percentage at .554 and yielded the most stolen bases at 20.
Syndergaard’s ERA is the third-worst mark by a Dodgers pitcher through 12 starts to begin the season. Only Hideo Nomo (7.26 ERA in 2004) and Carlos Pérez (7.25 ERA in 1999) had higher ERAs than Syndergaard.
Options with Noah Syndergaard
Roberts citing Syndergaard’s blister and broken fingernail suggest a stint on the 15-day injured list is likely. Another option would be for the Dodgers to designate him for assignment, at which point the 30-year-old would likely clear waivers.
However, Syndergaard would have the option to reject a Minor League assignment in favor of free agency if L.A. went down that path.
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