UPDATE (June 1, 4:00 p.m. PT): The Los Angeles Dodgers made changes in their starting rotation for the upcoming stretch of games.
A constant theme plaguing the Los Angeles Dodgers from Spring Training and now in the eighth week of the 2016 regular season has been injuries to starting pitchers and outfielders.
On the day he appeared to cement his status as the club’s fifth starter, Mike Bolsinger suffered an oblique strain while warming up for a Cactus League outing, resetting the search. Brett Anderson underwent back surgery, Brandon McCarthy is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Hyun-Jin Ryu suffered a setback after his most recent rehab start.
The situation was compounded Tuesday with the Dodgers placing Alex Wood on the 15-day disabled list with left posterior elbow soreness. He has since traveled back to Los Angeles for an MRI on his elbow.
Julio Urias was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move. Wood’s start on Monday against the Chicago Cubs was pushed back three days due to left triceps soreness.
Meanwhile, Kenta Maeda is dealing with lingering swelling in his throwing hand after being struck by a line drive on Saturday. According to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group, it isn’t yet decided if Maeda or Urias will start Thursday’s four-game series finale against the Cubs:
Either Kenta Maeda or Julio Urias will start Thursday.
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) June 1, 2016
Wood’s next scheduled start was Saturday against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium. Although Urias was recalled to fill his spot in the rotation, he could easily start Thursday as it was his next scheduled turn with Oklahoma City.
That would push Maeda back to Saturday, giving him two additional days of rest and time for swelling in his right hand to subside. The 19-year-old Urias had trouble with his command in his Major League debut at Citi Field. He only went 2.2 innings while allowing three runs with four walks and three strikeouts.
