Although Julio Urias made a return from shoulder surgery as an effective relief pitcher last season, he went into the winter primed to resume starting. Though, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was clear Urias would be on an innings limit in his first full season since shoulder surgery.
The Dodgers were cautious with their young lefty during Spring Training, never allowing Urias to exceed three innings pitched in any of his first four starts. Although he was making a case to crack the starting rotation, Urias appeared destined for a role in the bullpen.
However, that changed when Rich Hill suffered a left knee strain late in camp. Ross Stripling had already taken Clayton Kershaw’s spot in the rotation, leaving Urias to temporarily fill in as the club’s fifth starter.
He took the mound Monday night for his first start in an MLB game since May 2017, and didn’t disappoint. Following the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Urias would start against the Colorado Rockies this weekend but hinted at a move to the bullpen after that, via SportsNet LA:
“We know he’s going to make his next start in Colorado, and we’ll go from there. I think the thing is with Julio, the great thing about him is, he’s focused on pitching when we ask him to; in whatever role. He wants to help our big league club win baseball games, and that’s what he’s doing.”
Urias limited the San Francisco Giants to three hits and struck out seven over five shutout innings. He retired the first seven batters faced before losing a perfect game on a hit by pitch.
The Dodgers have not publicly revealed their target number of innings for Urias, which is believed to be 70 to 100. What the club has gone on record with is preferring to save the bulk of Urias’ innings for late in the year and a potential postseason run.
