Sensing their starting rotation would benefit from pitching on an extra day of rest, the Los Angeles Dodgers reinstated Mike Bolsinger from the disabled list last week and used him in a spot start on Wednesday.
Bolsinger tossed 4.1 innings against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, suffering a loss. He was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City the following afternoon. In his place, Los Angeles called up Chin-Hui Tsao to give them eight relievers on the active roster.
Tsao has appeared in two games since joining the Dodgers, but he was not one of the eight relief pitchers manager Dave Roberts called on in the marathon of a game against the San Diego Padres.
It wasn’t revealed until after the Dodgers’ win in 17 innings that Tsao was unavailable due to soreness. The domino effect forced Ross Stripling into action on two days’ rest.
Stripling threw three scoreless innings and earned his second career win. However, Roberts said the right-hander won’t make his next scheduled start on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, according to Andy McCullough of the LA Times:
Tsao had some "soreness," Roberts said. Stripling won't start on Tuesday.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) May 23, 2016
While the Dodgers have the likes of Jharel Cotton, Carlos Frias, Zach Lee and Ian Thomas on the 40-man roster, their options in reality are slim. Cotton, scheduled to start Tuesday for Triple-A Oklahoma City, last pitched on May 15.
Lee started on Saturday and Frias on Sunday for Oklahoma City. Thomas is currently on the Triple-A disabled list due to shoulder soreness. Sam LeCure, a reliever-turned-starter with Oklahoma City, could be called up, but the Dodgers would need to make a corresponding move on the 40-man roster.
Thus, the most plausible option for now appears to be placing Tsao on the DL so that Bolsinger can be recalled. While being optioned to the Minors requires a minimum stay for 10 days, they can replace an injured player.
Bolsinger is scheduled for a road start on Monday against the Fresno Grizzlies (Houston Astros affiliate).
