MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA) agreed to extend the deadline for teams to carry 14 pitchers on their active rosters through June 19.
The two sides previously agreed to allow teams to carry a max of 13 pitchers for the 2022 season, but that was put on hold in an effort to protect pitchers’ health due to the shortened Spring Training that came on the heels of the MLB lockout.
At the start of the season, teams were permitted to carry 28 players (29 in the case of a doubleheader) for the first month with no limit on how many pitchers they could include until May 2.
Active rosters were enforced back down to their usual 26 players on May 2 as originally planned, but teams were permitted to carry an extra pitcher through May 29 to bring them to 14 total.
With the new deadline, teams will be allowed to carry 14 pitchers until MLB requires them to swap an arm for a position player on their roster on June 20.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have carried the maximum amount of pitchers on their roster throughout most of the season and have 14 at present time, but that is not due to their lack of position-player depth.
In Triple-A Oklahoma City, the club has multiple players who are worthy of a promotion, including Jake Lamb, Kevin Pillar and Zach McKinstry. Pillar is on the taxi squad while the Dodgers are in Arizona in the event Max Muncy needs to be placed on the 10-day injured list.
The Dodgers also have multiple pitchers who are set to return later in the season, including Clayton Kershaw, Andrew Heaney, Dustin May, Danny Duffy, Tommy Kahnle, Victor González and they remain hopeful Blake Treinen will come off the IL as well.
That could require the club to make difficult roster decisions over the next few weeks and months.
They will get some help there once rosters expand again on Sept. 1 when all teams will be required to carry 28 players for the final month of the regular season, but that is not for quite some time.
The number of players they can carry also increases by one for each doubleheader played.
MLB rules that took effect
Although the number of pitchers permitted on an active roster is remaining a maximum of 14, as of May 2, Minor League options began counting toward the MLB maximum of five per season, and IL stints for pitchers reverted back to 15 days.
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