Welcome Back, Paco Rodriguez

Two weeks ago, Paco Rodriguez was sent to Triple-A when Brian Wilson returned. Now, he’s back, having been recalled to the Dodgers as Carlos Triunfel returns to the Isotopes. This is both good news and bad, I suppose. It’s good that Rodriguez is back, and it’s even better that the team seems to feel that Hanley Ramirez‘ thumb is healthy enough that there’s no need to have the depth Triunfel would provide. It’s less great, in my opinion, that they’re back to 13 pitchers, especially since the entire staff is more than rested after two days off in a row. That means that Justin Turner is the sole backup at second, short, and third; it means that you’re less likely to have the flexibility to make a move in the late innings.

Of course, the flip side to that is that they’re in Minnesota, so assuming they ever get to play a game up there, they’ll have the designated hitter in play. That means fewer pinch-hitters and fewer double-switches, so maybe it’s not that big a deal. They’ll also need to designate a 26th player for Thursday’s doubleheader, so another move is yet to come. Add that to the necessary move to add Clayton Kershaw early next week, and the likelihood that they’ll need an extra starting pitcher this weekend in Miami, and the roster games are far from over.

Triunfel never did get into a game for the Dodgers, making him the second annual recipient of the “I’m Aaron Harang and I swear I suited up” award until further notice.

Rodriguez got into three games for the Isotopes, retiring nine of the 11 hitters he faced, and most recently appearing on Saturday. All three of those games came on the road, so he’s still never pitched in Albuquerque.