The Dodgers’ Monday shuffle brought a little bit of everything: an injured catcher, a rotation tweak, a couple of familiar faces returning, and another roster casualty.
Dalton Rushing is headed to the injured list with right elbow inflammation, the issue that already knocked him out of Sunday’s start. His arm irritation has now become a more serious roster concern for a club that keeps having to juggle depth on the fly.
That opened the door for catcher help, and the Dodgers moved quickly. They acquired Ben Rortvedt and also traded for Hunter Feduccia from the Rays earlier Monday, but Rushing’s absence meant they still needed another active catcher for the series opener at Wrigley Field. That’s why Chuckie Robinson is back on the roster.
Eliezer Alfonso is starting behind the plate Monday against the Cubs, just as he did Sunday against the Red Sox.
On the pitching side, Emmet Sheehan was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City after a rough outing in Sunday’s loss to Boston. He gave up three home runs and five runs in 2 2/3 innings, and his season line now sits at a 5.29 ERA over 20 starts. That ERA ranks 96th among the 105 major league pitchers with at least 90 innings, even though his 3.96 xERA ranks 45th.
“Everyone knows what we think of him. I mean, the talent is there, the care, the preparedness, all that stuff is there,” manager Dave Roberts said after Sunday’s loss. “But it’s just, when you’re pitching in the big leagues, you’ve got to get guys out.”
Sheehan’s move keeps Eric Lauer in the rotation for now. Lauer had initially looked like a candidate for relief work or even a possible trade, but Roberts said at Wrigley Field on Monday, per Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic, that Lauer will start Wednesday in Chicago.
The Dodgers also brought back Jonathan Hernández, who had 12 mostly low-leverage appearances with the team earlier this season. He posted an 8.15 ERA with 15 strikeouts and 12 walks in 17 2/3 innings before being designated for assignment on June 30 and outrighted to Triple-A on July 2.
In seven games for Oklahoma City, Hernández had a 6.14 ERA with nine walks and six strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings.
The roster math kept moving from there. The Dodgers already had an opening after Cole Irvin was designated for assignment Saturday, and they created another by acquiring Kris Bubic - who is on the 60-day injured list - from the Royals for Carlos Durán earlier Monday. Feduccia filled one of those 40-man spots when his trade became official.
To make room for Robinson and Hernández, the Dodgers needed one more 40-man spot, and Wyatt Mills was designated for assignment after throwing 53 pitches over two innings on Sunday night. Mills appeared in six games for Los Angeles this season and allowed five runs, four earned, on five hits, nine walks and two hit batters, while striking out five in 6 1/3 innings.
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