The Los Angeles Dodgers made a bit of a surprising roster move on Wednesday, recalling one of their top pitching prospects, Dennis Santana, from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The reason it was so surprising was that the 22-year-old has only made two starts above Double-A in his career, although Santana has had success every step of the way. With the Dodgers bullpen taxed in recent days, he was called up possibly to serve as a long reliever on Wednesday and Thursday.
He was not needed in either game against the Philadelphia Phillies, leaving Santana available to make his MLB this weekend against the Colorado Rockies.
The young right-hander was initially thought to be an option for Saturday’s game, but with the Dodgers pushing Alex Wood back to Sunday, Santana might be involved in a bullpen game in Friday’s series opener that will be started by Scott Alexander.
Regardless of when he’ll slot in or what his role is, Santana is eager to pitch and contribute, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“I’m 100 percent [ready],” said Santana. “You always have to be ready, you have to have that confidence in yourself no matter who’s in front of you.”
All 10 games have been in a starting role for Santana this season, so ideally he will not be called on out of the bullpen. He has made 35 career relief appearances in the Minor Leagues though, so it is not a role he is completely unfamiliar with.
In 10 starts between Double-A Tulsa and Oklahoma City this season, Santana is a combined 1-3 with a 2.54 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He has an impressive 65 strikeouts compared to 16 walks in 49.2 innings pitched.
The Dodgers brass has raved about his electric stuff since Spring Training, which is one reason they felt comfortable promoting him despite his limited experience at the Triple-A level.
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