CHICAGO (AP) — The Dodgers placed left-hander Eric Stults on the
15-day disabled list because of a sprained thumb on his pitching hand Sunday, clearing a spot in the rotation for Opening Day starter Hiroki Kuroda.
The Dodgers also called up reliever Travis Schlichting from Double-A Chattanooga.
Kuroda is expected to be activated before Monday’s start against Arizona after being
sidelined nearly two months with a strained left oblique. He has not pitched since the
opener on April 6, when he allowed one run in 5 2-3 innings while leading the Dodgers to a 4-1 victory over San Diego.
The 34-year-old Kuroda was fine after the start but felt tightness in his left side late
in his side session in the bullpen two days later. An MRI exam showed no structural
damage, but the right-hander felt it again when he threw off the mound and went on the DL on April 10.
“Hopefully, he’s going to deepen our rotation and chip in with what (Randy Wolf) and
(Chad) Billingsley have been doing,” Torre said before Sunday’s game against the Chicago Cubs. “Those two guys have been the only two that have been consistently getting us into the later part of the game.”
Recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque when Kuroda went on the DL, Stults is 4-2 with a 4.80 ERA and got hit hard in his last two outings. He got knocked out in the fourth inning of Saturday’s 7-0 loss and lasted just 4 1-3 in his previous start against Colorado.
“It’s not a fun thing to go on the DL, but it could be a good thing,” said Stults, whose
thumb was in a splint. “It’s something that could bother me the rest of the year, but
hopefully, with rest it’ll he’ll properly and heal quicker. The last two outings, I
haven’t helped the team the way I’d like to and hopefully, this will be the best
thing.”
Schlichting had a 0.66 ERA in nine appearances with Chattanooga after being limited by a bulging disc in his lower back during spring training.