Julio Urias had already been tabbed for a spot start against the San Francisco Giants prior to Rich Hill suffering what an MRI revealed to be a flexor strain in his left forearm. The injury will sideline Hill indefinitely and created a need for the Dodgers in their starting rotation.
Manager Dave Roberts is confident in the club’s internal options, which include Ross Stripling and Urias, along with their depth at Triple-A Oklahoma City. Stripling and Urias were both members of the starting rotation to begin the season, filling in for Clayton Kershaw and Hill.
The Dodgers have not yet identified who will be relied upon as a temporary fifth starter, but it’s not something Urias is fixated on. “We haven’t talked about that at all yet,” Urias said through an interpreter when asked about his role possibly changing.
“But it’s definitely not a situation you want to be in. You don’t want to fill in for somebody, you always wish the best for your teammates. It doesn’t matter if it’s myself or someone else they decide to bring in. If it is me, I’m going to go out there and do my job and give 100%.”
Urias made four starts in April before being shifted to the bullpen as a means of managing his workload. The Dodgers envision the young left-hander as a starter longterm but are exercising caution in his first full season removed from shoulder surgery.
“I feel blessed and just happy to be here,” Urias added. “While my arm feels good, I’m going to try to do my best no matter what the situation is. Just go out there and do my job.”
His audition against the Giants was a rousing success, as Urias allowed just one hit and had five strikeouts over three scoreless innings. “He was on the attack from the beginning,” Roberts said.
“Really impressive, gave us three innings, (despite) coming into the game it was kind of a two-inning situation. As efficient as he was, the way he was attacking, really encouraging.”
Urias agreed with the assessment, noting change in mindset after laboring a bit. “In the first inning I was falling behind, so I came out and really thought about attacking the strike zone,” he said. “That’s what I’ve really been focusing on this season.”
Urias is 3-2 with three saves, a 2.84 ERA, 3.78 FIP and 1.02 WHIP in 17 games (five starts) this season.
