The Los Angeles Dodgers transferred Brandon McCarthy to the 60-day disabled list in order to clear room on the 40-man roster for Charlie Culberson. McCarthy had been on the 10-day DL since July 24 (retroactive to July 21) with a blister on a finger on his right hand.
The paper move now prevents McCarthy from returning until Tuesday, Sept. 19. It also means he’s unlikely to make the Dodgers’ playoff roster in any capacity. McCarthy faced a similar scenario last season and didn’t fare well in a test as a reliever.
During his time on the disabled list, the 34-year-old has made a pair of rehab starts for High-A Rancho Cucamonga. McCarthy threw three scoreless innings in his first outing, though also issued three walks.
He was unhappy with the performance and sought to make a second start in effort to see improvement.
That came Sunday, and McCarthy allowed seven runs (five earned) on eight hits in 3.2 innings, suffering the loss. In addition to battling some command trouble, McCarthy’s blister has reopened.
In 16 starts for the Dodgers this season, he’s 6-4 with a 3.84 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. McCarthy failed to complete five innings in three of four outings leading up to his DL stint.
Along with the blister that’s troubled him since Spring Training, McCarthy has also dealt with knee tendinitis this season. It initially didn’t have much of an impact, as he was among the Dodgers’ more reliable starters into June.
