Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
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4:05 p.m. PT
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| LF | Kendrick | CF | Revere | |
| 2B | Taylor | RF | Werth | |
| 3B | Turner | 1B | Murphy | |
| 1B | Gonzalez | RF | Harper | |
| RF | Van Slyke | C | Ramos | |
| CF | Puig | 3B | Rendon | |
| C | Grandal | 2B | Turner | |
| SS | Culberson | SS | Espinosa | |
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Norris (R)
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Gonzalez (L)
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The Dodgers have more entries in their injury parade, this time the rehabbing Alex Wood:
This afternoon in New York, Alex Wood will undergo an arthroscopic debridement of his left elbow. Estimated recovery time is eight weeks.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 20, 2016
Wood was probably a couple weeks away from re-joining the rotation, and participated in the same simulated game that Clayton Kershaw did not recover from. This news deals a serious blow to his chances of returning this season, since in mid-September it would be hard to build him back into a role in the majors. Maybe as a last-second reliever but it’s hard to be optimistic.
News is not so good on the Kershaw front, either:
Dave Roberts acknowledged possibility that Clayton Kershaw could require surgery, but insisted the team believes he will be back.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) July 20, 2016
Meanwhile, Chris Hatcher has been sent to the disabled list with a strained oblique. It’s hard to know if this injury is real or not, but it was real last year. That’s not to say Hatcher will be the same as he was late last season when he comes back, it’s hard to tell. At some point a history of masking injuries while pitching poorly would be significantly detrimental to a player’s overall usefulness.
The Dodgers recalled Charlie Culberson to replace Hatcher because Corey Seager is still suffering from a stomach bug. This brings them back to a traditional seven-man bullpen for the first time in awhile. Luckily, Scott Kazmir did his part and provided seven strong innings yesterday. The Dodgers are hoping that Bud Norris can do the same tonight. Culberson’s recall is likely temporary, and a position player will likely be sent down tomorrow to provide an extra bullpen arm for Julio Urias‘ start.
Apparently Joc Pederson is so much of a platoon player in this team’s eyes that he is still sitting so Yasiel Puig can play in center. This does not seem ideal.
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