The biggest news of the day is Yency Almonte returning from the injured list. He’s missed nearly two months with right elbow tightness, as he last appeared in a game for LA back on August 3.
In the move, the Dodgers placed Phil Bickford on the IL with “right shoulder fatigue”. Maybe Bickford truly has fatigue in his right shoulder, but it certainly is an interesting injury designation given the circumstances. Hey, thanks for taking one for the team, Phil!
Adding Almonte back to the bullpen will be a huge addition for the Dodgers. At the time of his injury, he was one of the more reliable arms they had.
In 29 games, Almonte posted a 1.15 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 329 ERA+(!!!!). His injury came at the worst time, as he was on a 12-game stretch of allowing zero runs. Over his previous 22 games, Almonte posted a 0.89 ERA.
The righty made three rehab appearances with OKC over the last week. His first two went great, as he tossed two hitless innings with two strikeouts. He got a little roughed up in his final tuneup, allowing two runs on two hits in 0.2 innings. The good news is that Almonte is feeling healthy and is ready to add a much-needed arm to LA’s bullpen.
Dodgers don’t have Game 1 starter yet
When asked about who could potentially start in Game 1, Roberts didn’t have an answer just yet. He did however say it’s between two guys.
“I don’t think we can go wrong with either [Julio Urias] or [Kershaw],” Roberts said on SNLA. “We’ll see how the last couple starts go for these guys. It’s fair to say both those guys will be starting games one and two.”
If I were to choose, Urías would be who I’d go with in Game 1. He’s been the better pitcher this season and is a Cy Young candidate. With that being said, I wouldn’t be too upset if they went with Kershaw. He does have a 2.42 ERA this season, after all.
Tony Gonsolin will return on Monday
It looks like we’ll be seeing Tony Gonsolin on the mound before the regular season ends. While speaking with reporters, Roberts said that Gonsolin is expected to be activated and start for LA on Monday at home against the Rockies.
The plan is for him to pitch three innings, with the hope of building up his arm to go four innings by the time the NLDS kicks off. Gonsolin hasn’t pitched since August 23, as he’s missed more than a month with a right forearm strain.
He pitched for OKC on Tuesday, throwing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
