The Los Angeles Dodgers optioned Justin Wrobleski to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday, with reliever Julian Fernández replacing him on the Major League roster.
The Dodgers have relied on various pitchers within their organization to step up this season, and Wrobleski emerged as one of them. He ate innings out of the bullpen and often put the team in a position to win ballgames.
The decision to demote him was not due to performance, but rather to add a fresh arm to the bullpen heading into the All-Star break, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“Definitely not performance,” Roberts said of Wrobleski’s demotion. “I think with Justin, it was more about the timing of the (All-Star) break, his not being available for the next couple days (after pitching 4⅔ innings on Saturday), to have some availability. Certainly the role as not seeing him as a short-burst reliever, keeping him built up, so those things. Tough conversation. It’s kind of part of having options, but he’s done a great job these last handful of outings.”
Wrobleski had a productive month of June, helping the Dodgers win three of his five appearances. He posted a 2.73 ERA, 26 strikeouts, and a 1.06 WHIP over 26.1 innings pitched. The left-hander also picked up a win in his lone appearance in May, tossing four shutout innings against the Athletics.
There have been some bumps in the road, such as Saturday’s outing against the Houston Astros, but overall, Wrobleski’s performance has been impressive for a depth piece.
His stint in the Majors this season has been a success in that sense, as his contributions helped keep the Dodgers afloat long enough for Tyler Glasnow to return from the 60-day injured list.
Dodgers value ‘flexibility’ Justin Wrobleski provides
Of Wrobleski’s eight appearances this season, only two have been starts. While he’s been given the workload of a starting pitcher, the Dodgers have often asked him to come out of the bullpen—either to follow an opener or to cover the middle innings of a bullpen game.
Wrobleski’s adaptability in different situations has earned praise from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
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