UPDATE (June 14, 9:20 p.m. PT): The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Kenta Maeda was removed with a lower leg contusion and X-rays came back negative. While a positive development, the same was said of Andre Ethier, only for an bone scan to reveal a fracture a few days later.
Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi and manager Dave Roberts expressed optimism Maeda will be able to make his next scheduled start.
For the second time in his last three starts, Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda was struck by a comebacker. Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a line drive registered at 95 mph that hit Maeda just below his right knee.
He managed to recover and make the play to record the out, then immediately dropped to the ground in visible pain. After being tended to by trainer Nate Lucero, Maeda was helped to his feet and off the field by Lucero and hitting coach Turner Ward, unable to put much weight on the right leg.
After sitting in the dugout for a brief period, Maeda was assisted down the steps into the clubhouse/training room, again putting little-to-no weight on his leg. On the SportsNet LA broadcast, Alanna Rizzo reported Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pointed to his shin area when asked where Maeda was struck.
The play was reminiscent of Andre Ethier sustaining a fractured right tibia as a result of fouling a ball off his shin during Spring Training. Ethier was projected to miss 10-14 weeks, but his recovery has advanced slower than expected.
The Dodgers led the Majors last season with 16 starting pitchers last season, and a replacement for Maeda would make for eight pitchers already used in 2016.
With Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu in the early stages of their respective rehab assignments, and Brett Anderson yet to begin his, Jharel Cotton and Frankie Montas figure to be viable options to fill the void should Maeda miss time.
Both Cotton and Montas are on the 40-man roster and with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
