The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled pitching prospect Dennis Santana from Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed Kenta Maeda on the 10-day disabled list with a right hip strain prior to Wednesday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Maeda was removed in the second inning of his on Tuesday night due to the hip injury, although he revealed that the discomfort was first felt in his previous start against the Colorado Rockies.
While he may not be out long, the Dodgers will certainly miss Maeda, who has been one of their most reliable starters so far this season. In 10 games (nine starts), Maeda has gone 4-3 with a 3.38 ERA, 2.60 FIP and 1.24 WHIP while striking out 66 and walking 17 in 50.2 innings.
How long Santana will remain with the big league club is currently unknown. Should Santana appear in a game for the Dodgers, it would mark his MLB debut.
In eight starts this season for Double-A Tulsa, Santana went 0-2 with a 2.56 ERA and 1.03 WHIP while posting an impressive 51 to 14 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 38.2 innings pitched.
That earned him a promotion to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he has posted a 2.45 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with 14 strikeouts and only two walks in 11 innings across his first two starts. Santana was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week upon joining Oklahoma City.
The Dodgers added Santana to their 40-man roster this past offseason in order to prevent potentially losing him in the Rule 5 Draft.