Of the five Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitchers who began the 2016 season on the disabled list, two — Mike Bolsinger and Hyun-Jin Ryu — have since begun a rehab assignment, and one — Brandon McCarthy — is on the verge of taking the mound in rehab starts.
With Ryu suffering multiple setbacks in his recovery from last May’s shoulder surgery, and McCarthy not yet ready to return from last April’s Tommy John surgery, and Brett Anderson undergoing back surgery, the Dodgers used Spring Training to sort through their options at the back of the rotation.
Alex Wood was quickly elevated from a potential sixth starter/long reliever to the club’s fourth starter, and Bolsinger essentially locked up the fifth and final spot in the rotation.
However, on the day Bolsinger effectively was tabbed as the victor of the spring battle, he suffered a strained oblique while warming up for a Cactus League start.
The 28-year-old right-hander slowly ramped up his level of activity and throwing before joining Triple-A Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment earlier this month. Now, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Bolsinger will be activated on Wednesday to start for the Dodgers:
The Dodgers will activate Mike Bolsinger from the disabled list to start Wednesday night as they implement a six-man rotation at least one time through.
Dating back to Friday, May 6, the Dodgers began a 20-game stretch without any off days. Inserting Bolsinger into the rotation to face the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pushes back starts for Ross Stripling, Scott Kazmir, Kenta Maeda and Alex Wood. Clayton Kershaw starts Tuesday night on normal rest.
Bolsinger tossed eight innings and allowed two runs over a pair of rehab starts for Oklahoma City, posting a 2.25 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. He had seven strikeouts to three walks, and allowed one home run. The right-hander was scheduled for a third rehab start on Tuesday.
Bolsinger was 6-6 with a 3.62 ERA, 3.91 FIP and 1.36 WHIP in 21 starts for the Dodgers last season. A corresponding roster move will be necessary in order to reinstate him from the DL.
What’s more, it’s plausible Bolsinger could push Stripling for the fifth-starter job. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts previously declared Stripling, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014, is on an innings limit and is a candidate to get sent to the bullpen.
