While the Los Angeles Dodgers begin a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies with Kenley Jansen, they anticipate the return of Ross Stripling. He’s been on the 10-day disabled list since Aug. 15 (retroactive to Aug. 12) because of lower back inflammation.
Trouble arose after Stripling last pitched, a start on Aug. 9 at Coors Field. He was moved to the bullpen after that outing because of Jansen’s bout with an irregular heartbeat, but has yet to pitch in relief.
As described by Stripling, he “woke up like a taco,” because of the soft beds at the team hotel in Denver. That caused the back trouble that has since sidelined him.
Ahead of the Dodgers returning to the hotel, Stripling said he was informed of a solution, via Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
Ross Stripling received an instructional video from the team hotel in Denver on how to flip his mattress so he can avoid a recurrence of back trouble.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) September 5, 2018
Although he expected to be activated after spending the minimum 10 days on the disabled list, Stripling has been unable to shake free of lingering discomfort. After missing his target return, he was pegged to come off the DL for last month’s series with the Texas Rangers.
A scheduled bullpen session was delayed, with the Dodgers opting to err on the side of caution. The pain Stripling was feeling appears to have worn off as he successfully threw a simulated game this week.
