The Los Angeles Dodgers have tapped into their pitching depth more times than not this season due to a myriad of injuries, leading to several Major League opportunities for Justin Wrobleski.
The left-hander rejoined the team earlier this month to make a spot start against the St. Louis Cardinals. He was previously recalled in April and May, and also earned a spot on the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster for the Tokyo Series.
While Wrobleski is a starter by trade, he has filled multiple roles this year. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes the 24-year-old has especially thrived as an innings-eater out of the bullpen.
“We’ll see, we’ll see. These last two have been very good out of the ‘pen. He’s certainly a starter, but for the role, what we need from him right now is to be efficient,” Roberts said of Wrobleski before he again pitched out of the bullpen against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.
“And it seems like out of the ‘pen, the stuff has ticked up. He’s been efficient, he’s going after guys. So I don’t know what the next week looks like. But he came up big [Friday] and the last couple outings for sure.”
Wrobleski saved the Dodgers bullpen in a 6-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants last week by logging the final 4.1 innings of the game on 66 pitches. He allowed one run on four hits and collected five strikeouts without issuing a walk.
Prior to that, Wrobleski’s only other relief appearance this season had been on May 15 against the Athletics, when he tossed four scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
Wrobleski seems to have come into his own as the long man in the Dodgers bullpen, which is an opportunity that in part was created by Ben Casparius being moved to the starting rotation.
Justin Wrobleski inconsistent as Dodgers starter
While Wrobleski has found success in the Dodgers bullpen, he previously struggled as a starting pitcher this season. He allowed eight runs in a loss to the Washington Nationals before bouncing back some against the Cardinals.
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