LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers put pitcher Justin Wrobleski on the 15-day injured list Sunday because of left forearm irritation.
Wrobleski, who is 11-5 with a 3.56 ERA in 20 starts this season, is second on the team in wins and innings pitched (126 1/3).
The injury is not believed to be serious, and manager Dave Roberts thinks Wrobleski could benefit from the break given his extensive usage already.
“We're not concerned,” Roberts said Sunday
after a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. “Given his workload and kind of where he's at, taking some of the load off of his arm, I think it's smart.”
Wrobleski, 26, made his first All-Star Game last month, but his form has dropped off since then. He has lost his past three starts, including allowing four runs on two two-run homers in a 4-1 loss to the Brewers on Saturday to exacerbate a recent trend. He has allowed a homer in four straight games, giving up a total of 11 in that span. He had conceded eight homers in his first 17 appearances, with only two multiple long-ball efforts, but opponents have three such outings in Wrobleski's past four starts.
Sending Wrobleski to the IL allowed the Dodgers to recall right-handed reliever Kyle Hurt from Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move, giving their overworked bullpen another arm. Hurt is 3-1 with a 4.46 ERA in 37 games this season.
“I think with the eight-man pen, we can sort of protect guys more there,” Roberts said. “And we just felt collectively Justin was the right period to back off, the fatigue of the arm. And it's not something he's ever going to make an excuse for. But I do think that it's smart for us as an organization to take that load off a little bit from him.”
___
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
