LOS ANGELES — Cole Irvin fulfilled his duty, pitching six innings in what would have otherwise been a bullpen game on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. On Saturday he was the expected casualty of his own performance, designated for assignment so the Dodgers could fill his roster spot with a fresh arm that would be available for the next few days. Kyle Hurt got the call from Triple-A Oklahoma City before the middle game against the Red Sox.
“Cole did a great job, but we obviously need to backfill an
arm, some length,” manager Dave Roberts said Saturday.
Irvin followed right-handed relievers Edgardo Henriquez and Will Klein, who covered the first seven outs. Then Irvin got the Dodgers into the ninth inning, with Evan Phillips getting the final two outs. The end result didn’t quite work out, as a five-run seventh inning gave Boston the win, but having Irvin soak up so many innings essentially reset the bullpen, with five more games before the Dodgers’ next off day.
This is similar to Charlie Barnes’ start against the A’s on July 1, in which the left-hander ate up seven innings but allowed seven runs in a loss to the A’s, but got the bullpen a rest day smack dab in the middle of a stretch of 13 game days in a row, and was sent down the next day.
The veteran Irvin doesn’t have minor league options, having used them in 2019, 2020, and 2023, so he had to be designated for assignment. That opens up a 40-man roster spot, which will likely be useful given that the trade deadline is Monday, offering flexibility at the least.
Hurt wasn’t alone in joining the Dodgers from Oklahoma City. Wyatt Mills is also at Dodger Stadium and was activated Saturday, but they took separate flights to Los Angeles on Saturday morning because both moves weren’t planned. Will Klein was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort.
Hurt had a strong few months in the Dodgers bullpen this season, before wildness and a couple hiccups got him optioned to Triple-A before the All-Star break. Hurt joined the Dodgers once in the interim, and pitched two scoreless innings as the 27th man for the second game of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium on July 19. That was a one-day affair, but now Hurt is called up for real, having last pitched on Wednesday for Oklahoma City.
In 33 games for the Dodgers this season, Hurt has a 4.59 ERA and 3.77 xERA with 39 strikeouts and 18 walks in 33 1/3 innings.
