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Justin Wrobleski Optioned: ‘Tough’ Decision For Dodgers

Sebastian Abdón Ibarra
3 Min Read
Jul 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) delivers to the plate in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Jack Flaherty joined the Los Angeles Dodgers roster on Wednesday, one day after the team acquired him from the Detroit Tigers minutes before the MLB trade deadline. The Dodgers traded prospects Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney to the Tigers in the deal.

In a corresponding move, the Dodgers optioned Justin Wrobleski to Triple-A Oklahoma City in order to make room for Flaherty.

The decision on who would be optioned to make room for Flaherty was not an easy one for the organization to make. River Ryan was another logical candidate to be optioned back to Triple-A, but the Dodgers ultimately chose to keep him on the active roster for the time being.

“It was tough. It was tough. I think we just wanted to see a little bit more from River. But Justin did a fantastic job, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him back up here at some point,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

With a spot cleared in the rotation, Flaherty is scheduled to make his Dodgers debut on Saturday. Ryan’s next start is Sunday, in the series finale against the Oakland Athletics.

Ryan has been very impressive through two career starts in the Majors as he’s allowed only one earned run in 11 innings. This included a strong performance against the Houston Astros last Saturday in which Ryan finished with a career-high eight strikeouts.

Justin Wrobleski impressed

The Dodgers selected Wrobleski’s contract for his MLB debut on July 7. It was another impressive step forward for the left-hander after he quickly rose through the Dodgers farm system.

Wrobleski has only made four starts thus far, but showed promise during that span. Wrobleski pitched to a 4.05 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and had 15 strikeouts over 20 innings.

More importantly, he put the Dodgers in a solid position to win the game in three of his four starts and brought some semblance of stability to a rotation that was in need of options.

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Sebastian Ibarra covers the Los Angeles Dodgers as a staff writer for Dodger Blue. He previously worked as a Marketing/Communications intern for the Ontario Jr Reign, and a staff writer and two time Editor for the Campus Times at the University of La Verne. Sebastian graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2022 from ULV with a major in Communications. His love of sports stems from his baseball career starting at tee-ball and ending his senior year at Servite High School. He is currently Gold Rank in Call of Duty MW3 competitive and is an enjoyer of Detective Comics. Follow him on Twitter: @sebas_abdon.