The Los Angeles Dodgers moved left-hander Eric Lauer to the bullpen for Sunday’s game with Shohei Ohtani’s return right around the corner.
Per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Lauer moved to the pen due to the Dodgers’ recent spell of off days, which come after a streak of 13 games without a rest day. The Dodgers didn’t have a game Thursday, nor will they have a game Monday.
Lauer could still return to the rotation at some point, but with Ohtani returning as soon as next week, per Dave Roberts, he may stay in the bullpen for the remainder of the season.
The Dodgers picked Lauer up off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays in May following Tyler Glasnow’s move to the injured list, and he has been solid for LA as a starter. Through 12 appearances with the Dodgers, Lauer has a 3.76 ERA and a stellar 7-1 record.
The left-hander will likely fill a bulk relief role out of the bullpen for the Dodgers, though he may not be happy about it.
Lauer previously spoke out about pitching behind an opener when he played with the Blue Jays, saying “to be real blunt, I hate it,” but he backtracked upon his arrival in LA.
“There was no ill will there, there was no hurt feelings,” Lauer said.
“It was a very simple question, I thought, ‘How do you feel about an opener?’ I think if you ask most starters in the league, they would probably have the same response: that they don’t like it.
“But it doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to do it. It doesn’t mean that I’m not a team player. I’m not gonna have a problem if there is somebody in front of me. It’s part of the game, it’s become part of the game, and we’re all here to win ball games.”
When Will Shohei Ohtani Return?
Ohtani has thrown a couple of bullpen sessions with the Dodgers, marking the final steps in his own plan towards returning to game readiness. He threw 30 pitches in a bullpen ahead of Saturday’s win against the Pirates, and will likely need one more live BP session before pitching in a game.
If Ohtani comes back next week like Roberts expects, he will face either the Atlanta Braves or the Detroit Tigers on the road.
