Dodgers News: Kyle Hurt Not Auditioning for Postseason Spot, Says Dave Roberts
With only a few weeks left in the MLB season, the Dodgers are looking to just get themselves ready for the postseason. This means fine-tuning things and getting guys some extra rest prior to the start of the biggest games.
LA now has the ability to call up some players from the minors to help take the load off as an extra body and see what they have over these next few weeks. One of those came on Tuesday, as LA called up flamethrower Kyle Hurt from the minors.
Hurt dominated the minor leagues, striking out 145 batters in 88.1 innings of work. He was incredible, and the Dodgers believed he could help with their final few weeks.
Prior to the game Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts said that Hurt wasn’t auditioning for a postseason spot, but rather just helping them out with an extra arm.
“With Kyle it’s more of giving us length today, and potentially tomorrow,” Roberts said. “I know Kyle’s got really big stuff, he misses bats. … Right now, this is accelerated for Kyle. But we as an organization feel that he’s ready for this. I think the right now, you look at the pen and the usage and just making sure we take care of our guys. So to get him an opportunity to take down some innings, we all thought he was the right person for it.”
Per SNLA, Pregame
However, once the game was over, his tone may have changed after watching Hurt do his thing out on the mound.
“The way he performed, it was really special,” Roberts said. “Just didn’t run from the moment. And it’s a lane, a run of hitters that he’ll remember forever. It doesn’t get any better or tougher than that.”
Per SNLA, Postgame
Hurt was electric in his big-league debut. His first few batters that he faced were the heart of the San Diego Padres order and a few of the best players in the league. He made quick work of them and then struck out the side in the top of the ninth to close out the victory.
It was special stuff indeed, and something that you don’t see every day. While LA may have not seen Hurt as a viable playoff option before, if he continues to perform like this, they may have no choice but to allow him onto the postseason roster.
It was a great start to his career in the big leagues, and the former USC Trojan made the most of it. Hopefully, he can continue to build off this and get even better.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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