When Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was discussing the organization’s pitching prospects during his media availability at the 2022 MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego, he mentioned Gavin Stone as an intriguing candidate to make an impact this season.
“A guy that’s really interesting that we’re going to be talking a lot about going forward is Gavin Stone,” Roberts said at the time. “Got a chance to see him a little bit before the postseason and talked to him, and he’s a special young talent, makeup.”
Stone went on to impress in Spring Training and began the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Next, however, is the heralded Dodgers pitching prospect getting called up to make his MLB debut against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com:
#Dodgers are calling up No. 4 prospect Gavin Stone, per source. He’ll be flying to Los Angeles and the plan is for him to start Wednesday against the Phillies.
Stone impressed everyone this spring and has pitched much better his last two starts in AAA after a slow start.
— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) April 30, 2023
The Dodgers will need to make room for Stone on their 40-man roster in order to get him active. A plausible solution that would take care of roster movement in one fell swoop is designating Austin Wynns for assignment. He’s currently a third catcher on the roster, but Will Smith has returned from a concussion and is poised to resume duties behind the plate.
The Dodgers could also transfer Michael Grove or Jimmy Nelson to the 60-day injured list, and make a second move to get Stone on the active roster. It may be an option given Nelson’s outlook, but there’s yet to be any indication Grove would miss significant time with his right groin strain.
Gavin Stone with Oklahoma City Dodgers
Stone was dominant with OKC to finish the 2022 season but initially struggled in his return to Triple-A this year. The right-hander allowed six runs on five hits in just 2.2 innings pitched in his 2023 debut.
Stone followed that by allowing a combined seven runs in 22 innings over his past five starts. That stretch culminated with a season-high eight strikeouts and just one run allowed on Thursday.
By slotting Stone in for a spot start when Dustin May was scheduled to pitch, the Dodgers are providing their rotation with extra rest.
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