Dodgers option Carlos Frias to Triple-A after a long 24 hours.

Carlos FriasDodgers pitcher Carlos Frias said he went to bed Tuesday night believing he would start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Surprise!

Frias learned Wednesday morning that he had been recalled to take the roster spot of pitcher David Huff, who was designated for assignment after Tuesday’s game. He flew from Oklahoma City to Los Angeles and did not arrive until 4:30 p.m. He wasn’t able to stretch with his teammates on the field.

“Very long day,” he said.

Thursday, Frias was optioned back to Triple-A.

The Dodgers figured they would need to call up a relief pitcher after Huff’s spot start Tuesday. Why wait until the last minute?

One possible reason is that if Huff had pitched beyond the fourth inning (and Juan Nicasio hadn’t been needed to pitch the fifth and sixth innings) the Dodgers wouldn’t have needed a capable long reliever like Frias. In that case, maybe a specialist like left-hander Adam Liberatore or right-hander Sergio Santos would have gotten the call.

“There’s a lot of factors that go into who you’re calling up and why,” manager Don Mattingly said Wednesday. “We look at Carlos a couple different ways — he pitched really good out of the bullpen for us. He’s started for us also. He’s kind of that guy who can do both.”

The Dodgers will need a fifth starter again on April 25 against the San Francisco Giants. Coincidentally, that happens to be Frias (or Garcia’s) turn in the rotation.

But MLB rules require that any player optioned to the minors can’t be recalled for at least 10 days. So Frias won’t be making the start.

Garcia would appear to be the top candidate, but he struggled Wednesday (five runs allowed in two innings). Zach LeeMike Bolsinger, Joe Wieland and Scott Baker are scheduled to start the OKC Dodgers’ next four games in that order.