Dodgers News: Dave Roberts May Have Had a Change of Heart with Rookie Kyle Hurt
Prior to rookie pitcher Kyle Hurt making his major league debut, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was very quick to say that he wasn’t auditioning for a potential playoff spot. But his tune has now changed after he saw what Hurt could bring to the table.
“So I don’t know what’s going to happen with Kyle. He could come back. My encouragement to him was, ‘You filled the zone, you had swing and miss, you had a great experience. Continue to do that, and you never know what can happen.’”
Per SNLA
The former USC Trojan pitcher came out swinging in his debut, and he knocked it out of the park (metaphorically of course). The pitcher took on the heart of the San Diego Padres lineup in his first big-league action and calmly retired them all.
Hurt then followed that up by striking out the side in the top of the 9th inning to help LA close out a win. It was an electric debut for the rookie, and now many are wondering if he could land on the postseason roster.
The Dodgers brought Hurt up to see what he could do, and he surely showed them that he could be a weapon out of the bullpen. But the team also likely wants him to get a taste of Triple-A, since they did call him up straight from Double-A.
“This is accelerated for Kyle, but we as an organization feel that he’s ready for this.”
Per SNLA
In the minors, Hurt was a flamethrower, and it helped him get his chance with LA. He struck out 145 batters over 88.1 innings in the minor leagues. He also led the minors in strikeout rate.
After his debut, Hurt spoke about his performance and was happy to see that it translated over to the show.
“After watching it play out, I really know that it does play at this level and it’s awesome to see that. All that work I put in, for that to happen, it’s pretty cool.”
Per The OC Register
It remains to be seen what happens with Hurt, but he could easily become an X-factor for the Dodgers into the postseason. His ability to make batters miss the ball could play out well in the postseason, so the team has some tough decisions to make.
For now, he’s back in Triple-A, but things could change very quickly for the hard-throwing righty.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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And yet LA optioned him to Oklahoma City (PCL) in favor of Joe 4.86 era Kelly. Way to go LA. Couldn’t you have found one of the many losers in the pen to option? I was thinking tonight heading into bottom of the 9th, Hurt’s coming in, then had to check the roster and saw this. As much as I liked Joe Kelly before he left, he’s simply not the same. Fire Roberts and Friedman