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Given the avalanche of injuries the Los Angeles Dodgers have had to deal with this season, it’s a wonder they’re four games up on the San Diego Padres in the National League West as of September 7. They added another name to the growing list of pitchers on the shelf on Friday when right shoulder inflammation forced Gavin Stone to the Injured List.
The plan is to shut Stone down for about 10 days and reassess, President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman told reporters.
The rookie Stone leads the Dodgers in starts this year with 25. In that time, he has a 3.53 ERA with a 1.211 WHIP. Because the Dodgers’ rotation has been ravaged by injuries, Stone is actually the team’s only starter currently eligible for the ERA title, per Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors.
With Yoshinobu Yamamoto due back next week and Stone not ruled out for the postseason, this isn’t the end of the world for the Dodgers — but it hurts. Even if that four-game cushion on the Padres is enough, they’re still playing for the best record in baseball, which would guarantee them homefield advantage for however far they advance in October.
Gavin Stone Throws the Dodgers’ Rotation Plans into Turmoil
As it stands, midseason acquisition Jack Flaherty is the rotation anchor. Since coming over from Detroit, he is 4-1 with a 3.18 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 34 innings. The 28-year-old has postseason experience and between Detroit and Los Angeles, has racked up the highest strikeout rate of his career (31.0%).
After that, it’s a laundry list of unknowns. Walker Buehler still hasn’t found his form, though he was better last time out against the Angels (5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER). Bobby Miller hasn’t been effective in 11 starts (7.79 ERA, 6.80 FIP), and neither has Justin Wrobleski in his six starts (6.82 ERA, 59 ERA+). Landon Knack has been solid, but has bounced between Triple-A and the Majors this year.
The Dodgers already needed Yamamoto desperately, and Stone’s injury makes them even more desperate. But as great as he’s been this year (2.92 ERA in 14 starts), his stamina is still not built up. In his last rehab start, he only threw 53 pitches. Assuming his next start comes in the majors, he would need a piggyback to eat innings as he continues to ramp up.
As the Dodgers navigate the next couple weeks with a rotation held together by duct tape and chewing gum, they’ll have to hope Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow can both return without any setbacks. The Dodgers’ injury report on MLB.com projects them both back in mid-September with enough time to make three starts before the postseason.
Teoscar Hernandez May Also Go on the IL
The Dodgers’ starting rotation has taken a beating this year, but the team got some bad news on offense as well. Teoscar Hernandez, who has 28 home runs and an .819 OPS, is likely to go on the IL after leaving Friday night’s game with a left ankle injury sustained by a hit by pitch. Manager Dave Roberts’ report on him did not sound promising.
“[Hernandez is] as tough as they come and he could barely move his foot….He doesn’t come out of games,” Roberts told reporters, per MLB.com’s Juan Toribio. “Afterwards, the pain typically subsides for him, but it didn’t. It’s concerning.”
Roberts added that he “doesn’t see” a scenario where Hernandez avoids the IL. The outfielder will undergo more tests on Saturday, however, before the Dodgers make anything official.
Like Stone with the Dodgers’ rotation, Hernandez has been a stabilizing force for a Dodgers’ offense through its injuries. Mookie Betts and Max Muncy both spent extended stretches on the IL, and Tommy Edman was still recovering from injury when LA acquired him at the deadline.
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