Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start for the team next Tuesday, September 10 against the Cubs after making only two minor league rehab starts, manager Dave Roberts told reporters in Anaheim on Wednesday.
Yamamoto last pitched for the Dodgers on June 15, and has been on the injured list with a right rotator cuff strain for more than two and a half months since. The right-hander made two rehab starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City, pitching two innings in each game.
He was slated to pitch three innings this Tuesday, but a 17-pitch walk helped limit Yamamoto to only two innings and 53 pitches against Sugar Land.
“Obviously that at-bat took a long time to get through, so he only got through two innings, but the plan is for him to join us on Tuesday,” Roberts said Wednesday, as shown on SportsNet LA. “The pitch count got up to [53] pitches. We didn’t get the ups that we wanted, but with the off day coming on Thursday [September 12] we’ll have the coverage we need.”
The Dodgers begin a stretch of 16 games in 17 days on Friday, and Landon Knack will start that series opener against the Guardians at Dodger Stadium, Roberts also said Wednesday in Anaheim, per David Vassegh of Dodger Talk and Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic.
The Dodgers have started a pitcher on four days rest just six times all season, and Gavin Stone’s outing on August 7 was the only Dodgers start on four days rest in the team’s last 73 games.
With Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw both on the injured list, and optioned starters Ben Casparius (September 16) and Justin Wrobleski (September 17) can’t return inside of 15 days unless replacing an injured player, there are no other real options than Yamamoto for the club to add a sixth starter.
At some point during the series next week against the Cubs, the Dodgers would have needed to either insert Yamamoto or institute a bullpen game to avoid a start on four days rest. Having Yamamoto go even three innings is a much more stable than a true bullpen game, and even with six starters that leaves room for eight active relievers given September roster expansion, so there should be plenty of coverage.
Starting Yamamoto next week also leaves time for Yamamoto to make four regular season starts in preparation for the postseason. Before his injury, the right-hander was pitching quite well, with a 2.92 ERA and 3.23 xERA in his 14 starts, with 84 strikeouts and 17 walks in 74 innings.
Among the 156 major league pitchers with at least 70 innings this season, Yamamoto ranks 16th with a 27.9-percent strikeout rate and 12th with a 22.3-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate.
“I think the stuff will be there. I’m not sure about how the command it going to be,” Roberts said, again per SportsNet LA. “But if we can log four starts and build up volume, we’ll be ready to go beyond that.”
Because Yamamoto is on the 60-day injured list, the Dodgers will need to make a corresponding move to make room on the 40-man roster.
