One thing that has been a constant for the last few seasons is how deep the Dodgers’ pitching staff is to start Spring Training. Another thing that has been a constant is a few weeks into the season, there are inevitably issues and/or injuries and the Dodgers need to pivot from their original plan.
This season is no different. If all the starters were healthy, they would have seven to eight viable candidates for the starting rotation. Alas, Blake Snell has not thrown off the mound yet this Spring,
dealing with ongoing shoulder issues. Gavin Stone, who looked great in his first outing, has been shut back down after experiencing shoulder discomfort after his inning of work in a Cactus League game and then more work in the bullpen. Neither will be ready to start the season,
MLB.com’s Sonja Chen covered who the choices are for the spots after Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow. Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki, Justin Wrobleski and River Ryan are all mentioned as possible options. Wrobleski has looked the best so far this Spring, but of course all the hurlers have small sample sizes. The next three weeks should go a long way to rounding out the starting rotation.
Rushing’s future
Last season, Dalton Rushing spent most of his rookie season watching Will Smith and Austin Barnes covering the backstop roll. Barnes was released, and Rushing had more starting time. Then Smith wound up on the IL, and Ben Rortvedt stepped in ahead of Rushing to handle most of the catching responsibilities.
This season, Dalton is looking to step up his playing both in time and production. He knows that his road to full time backstop is blocked in the Dodgers organization, as Smith signed an eight-year extension. Jack Harris covers how Rushing is approaching this season here.
When will Ryan Ward get his chance?
Bill Plunkett of the OC Register covers how outfielder Ryan Ward has dealt with being in Triple-A Oklahoma City for three years, winning PCL MVP last season, and still not having been called up to the big leagues. Like Rushing, Ward is the victim of being blocked by players ahead of them and being in a stacked organization. Ward so far has handled it with patience and grace, but a good player can only stay in Triple-A so long. It will be interesting to see where Ward ends his season this year.
