Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced Brock Stewart will start Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins. Alex Wood, who last pitched July 21, was previously listed as the probable for the series finale. He’s now pushed back to Friday in the opener with the San Francisco Giants.
Stewart is expected to remain in the rotation as the fifth starter into next week, Roberts added. Stewart was selected over Ross Stripling, among others, in part due to recent usage. “Having Brock, giving him a chance to build up, made sense,” Roberts said.
The 25-year-old hasn’t pitched since July 20 and was one of multiple players who was affected by an upper respiratory issue.
Considering the illness and that Stewart has not been stretched into a starter while with the Dodgers, he’s projected to throw 50-60 pitches. Stewart’s season high is 40 pitches, thrown across three innings out of the bullpen in his 2017 debut June 20.
Stewart went 2-2 with a 5.79 ERA in seven games (five starts) for the Dodgers last season. He yielded a 3.24 ERA in three starts this year with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
“I think the fastball characteristics, velocity and things like that, are the same,” Roberts explained when asked to compare Stewart to his profile last year. “The changeup is better and I think the slider is a tick better.”
Stewart’s opportunity to start is a byproduct of Clayton Kershaw and Brandon McCarthy both landing on the disabled list. Hyun-Jin Ryu returned Monday, but it still left the team one starter short to complete a rotation.
Beyond the change this week, the Dodgers will be afforded with the opportunity to further juggle their rotation because of upcoming off days Thursday and Monday.
