TORONTO — Coming to a minor league ballpark near you: Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy and Mike Bolsinger.
The three injured Dodger pitchers are a week or two away from beginning minor league rehab assignments, manager Dave Roberts said Friday.
Ryu “came out well” from his latest bullpen session Thursday, in which he pitched off the main mound at Dodger Stadium to a select group of hitters from Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.
“We don’t put too much credence into him facing minor league hitters but it was a step in the right direction,” Roberts said.
Ryu threw two “innings” consisting of 50-60 pitches total.
McCarthy also threw yesterday, though not to live hitters. Roberts said the plan calls for McCarthy to face minor league hitters in his next two mound sessions. Ryu will face hitters once more. At that point, barring any setbacks, each will begin a minor league rehab assignment. Ryu’s will be first, no sooner than a week from now, followed by McCarthy.
As for Bolsinger, he’s been rehabbing at the Dodgers’ extended spring training facility in Arizona. Roberts said that Bolsinger could be cleared to begin a minor league rehab assignment later next week.
“I don’t know how far away he is,” Roberts said, “but he’s progressing rapidly.”
“Mid-June” is an awfully vague target date, or range of dates. But if your friends ask you when any of the three pitchers might be back with the Dodgers, that’s probably the most accurate answer as of Friday, May 6. Rehab assignments can last up to 30 days by rule if the player maintains his health. If he experiences a setback, he would have to begin a new assignment once he’s ready.
Roberts said the three pitchers might not need the full 30 days, depending on how they’re able to progress physically, “but also the necessity, kind of seeing where we’re at.”
The Dodgers don’t need five starters urgently. The five men who began the season in their starting rotation have, somewhat remarkably, maintained their health through the first month of the season.
Still, there’s room for improvement. Consistency hasn’t been an issue for Clayton Kershaw (1.96 ERA) or tonight’s starter Kenta Maeda (1.41), but Ross Stripling (4.33), Alex Wood (5.18) and Scott Kazmir (5.68) have struggled — sometimes considerably.
The in-house reinforcements are at least a month away, and they might not be needed by then, though Stripling’s pre-determined innings limit could knock him out of the rotation before his performance does. At least now, there’s something resembling a realistic timetable, and a good reason for the Dodgers’ minor-league ticket sales personnel to begin licking their chops.
