With rosters expanding to 40 players on Saturday, the Los Angeles Dodgers are slated to receive a number of additional reinforcements from the Minor League ranks.
Among those in consideration of a promotion is former top prospect Julio Urias, who has been sidelined for over a year while recovering from last season’s anterior capsule shoulder surgery.
While Urias has yet to appear in a Major League game since undergoing the operation, he recently completed a lengthy Minor League rehab assignment. The 22-year-old already has six starts under his belt, including four with High-A Rancho Cucamonga.
Though the latest outing came after Urias was technically reinstated from the 60-day disabled list and optioned to the Minors.
Despite being tasked with a healthy dose of Minor League game action to date, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts downplayed the possibility of Urias immediately joining the club on Sept. 1, per Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
“Saturday just doesn’t seem realistic, in terms of the level he was pitching at,” Roberts said. “And he’s going to need a couple, two, three days to rebound from that. I don’t see Saturday. But the hope is to get him here when he can be ready to help us on a day-to-day basis win major-league games.”
Given the severity of his injury and the amount of downtime since his last Major League appearance, it makes sense that the Dodgers are slow-playing Urias’ potential return to the club.
As Roberts notes, the Dodgers have stayed consistent in giving Urias plenty of time to recover after a start. He’s received a minimum of four days off in between outings thus far.
Urias last started for the Quakes on Monday, when he tossed two hitless innings with four strikeouts against two walks. Assuming the pattern continues, Urias would next be on track for another Minor League appearance this weekend.
However, if Urias is to again pitch in the Minors, it will come with Triple-A Oklahoma City as he was just promoted to the affiliate.
