An abundance of injuries to the Los Angeles Dodgers starting rotation has led to an increased workload for Ross Stripling, among others, in the early going.
Originally making the Opening Day roster as one of eight relief pitchers, Stripling has recently received most of his opportunities as a starter in the wake of Clayton Kershaw being placed on the disabled list with left biceps tendinitis.
Dating back to April 30, Stripling has made just one relief appearance in contrast to accumulating four starts. Prior to that, he logged 10 consecutive appearances out of the bullpen to begin the 2018 campaign.
Stripling acknowledged his role with the Dodgers isn’t set in stone, but has adapted by approaching the season one day at a time, via Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
“No one’s even really told me what I’m doing,” Stripling said. “They’re like ‘Hey, you’ve got a bullpen today.’ ‘OK, does that set me up for Saturday?’ They’re like, ‘Yeah.’ All right, sweet.”
The Dodgers, who emphasize flexibility, have implemented Stripling in a swingman-type role since making his Major League debut in 2016. The 28-year-old has appeared in 86 career games — 20 of them being starts.
It’s unclear if Stripling will remain in the starting rotation when Kershaw returns. A decision will need to be made soon, as the three-time Cy Young Award winner was recently deemed “symptom-free” and is on track to throw another bullpen session.
Stripling could maintain his role as a starter if the Dodgers prefer to option Walker Buehler to Triple-A Oklahoma City in order to preserve his innings for the second half of the season.
In 15 games this season (four starts), Stripling has posted a solid 2.08 ERA, 2.34 FIP and 1.24 WHIP over 34.2 innings pitched with 40 strikeouts to nine walks.
