The Los Angeles Dodgers reunited with several familiar faces over the offseason, including Jimmy Nelson, who missed all of last year after suffering a back injury in Spring Training that ultimately required season-ending surgery.
When the Dodgers initially signed Nelson to a one-year contract prior to the 2020 season, it was with the hope he would be able to recapture his previous form with the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-hander finished ninth in National League Cy Young Award voting in 2017 after going 12-6 with a 3.49 ERA over 29 starts.
Now healthy again, Nelson gives the Dodgers more pitching depth at a time when teams are stockpiling arms for the upcoming 162-game schedule. The 31-year-old has experience in both the starting rotation and bullpen, but it’s the former that he will be focusing on this spring.
“You can add Jimmy Nelson to that mix, so that makes eight, and I think that’s a good thing,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the club’s options in the starting rotation.
“Right now, we’re just going to look at it as we have eight viable starters, Major League starters. As the days, weeks kind of move forward, we’ll know more.”
The Dodgers’ projected Opening Day rotation as of now includes Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Trevor Bauer and David Price. The fifth spot is likely to go to Julio Urias, with Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May right behind him.
Nelson is even further back on the depth chart, as he would need to be added to the 40-man roster just to break camp with the Dodgers. Should he fall short of earning a spot in the starting rotation, it isn’t clear what his role for the 2021 season would be.
“Right now it’s a little too early to tell,” Roberts said. “We’re just of the mind that he’s a starter and we want to build him up accordingly.”
Dodgers undecided on Opening Day starter
In addition to not having named an official fifth starter, the Dodgers also are yet to settle on who will take the mound Opening Day. Clayton Kershaw may be the favorite, but Walker Buehler has been knocking on the door for his first career start in a season opener.
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