The Los Angeles Dodgers received more bad news on the injury front on Sunday with ace Clayton Kershaw being placed on the 10-day disabled list with bicep tendonitis.
Kershaw becomes the second member of the Dodgers rotation to land on the DL within the last week, joining Hyun-Jin Ryu who went down with a groin injury that will keep him out until at least the All-Star break.
Walker Buehler was an obvious candidate to replace Ryu, given how well he has pitched so far this season. Finding a replacement for Kershaw is a bit more challenging, as there is no clear option.
But it appears the plan is to go with Ross Stripling, who was stretched out as a starter during Spring Training for this purpose, via David Vassegh of AM 570 L.A. Sports:
Ross Stripling will stay in the rotation to start vs #Reds
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) May 6, 2018
Stripling has already made two straight starts in the past week in the place of Rich Hill, who is returning from the disabled list and starting Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
He threw four innings in each of those starts, although now with two starts under his belt he may be able to expand that to five or six in his next start against the Cincinnati Reds.
Stripling dealt with an illness in his outing against the San Diego Padres on Sunday but still managed to get through four shutout innings. He has served as a starter in the past for the Dodgers, making 18 starts since the beginning of the 2016 season, so it is not a role that he is unfamiliar with.
