Just as it appeared the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting rotation was at last rounding into form, it was knocked back to the same injury-riddled state that encompassed it through the first three months of the season.
Hyun-Jin Ryu, who was scheduled to start Wednesday against the Washington Nationals, was placed on the 15-day disabled list with left elbow tendinitis. Ryu only managed to make one start after returning from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.
There were some signs of encouragement and expected rust and fatigue in his first Major League start since October 2014. He was chased in the fifth inning and allowed six runs on eight hits.
With Ryu unavailable to start, the Dodgers are sending Bud Norris to the mound in his place. However, the larger piece of news is the club intends to recall Julio Urias from Triple-A Oklahoma City for a start on Thursday, per AM 570 LA Sports Radio DodgerTalk host David Vassegh:
#Dodgers will have Bud Norris start on Wednesday and Julio Urias will start Thursday.
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) July 19, 2016
Urias last started for the Dodgers on July 4 and struggled against the Baltimore Orioles. He was then optioned to Oklahoma City under the plan of working as a starter and reliever to limit his workload.
To date, Urias has pitched just once since being sent down — throwing one inning of relief on July 10. Including time with Oklahoma City and the Dodgers, he’s thrown 78.1 innings this season. It’s unclear if Urias will remain in the Dodgers’ rotation beyond Thursday’s start.
In eight Major League starts, the young southpaw owns a 4.95 ERA and 1.54 WHIP to go with 44 strikeouts. Urias allowed two runs on six hits and had six strikeouts in five innings of work when he faced the Nationals on June 22.
