Dodgers News: Ryan Pepiot Finally Feels Like Himself Again as He Returns to MLB Mound
Ryan Pepiot is officially back in the Dodgers rotation about five months later than expected.
Pepiot, who earned the spot of the No. 5 starter in the Dodgers rotation in spring training, hurt his oblique in his final outing, and has been out ever since.
Pepiot’s injury lingered for much longer than expected, and his return timeline kept getting pushed back.
Finally, in the second half of this season, Pepiot was able to go out on a rehab assignment, where his most recent start was about as good as he could have asked for.
Pepiot threw six perfect innings before allowing a hit in the seventh, and finished with 6.2 scoreless innings on his way to winning the Triple-A Player of the Week Award.
Pepiot was likely going to continue getting rehab starts, however, Hurricane Hilary forced the Dodgers into a Saturday doubleheader, and Pepiot became the 27th man for the job.
Earlier this week, before Pepiot even knew he was going to pitch on Saturday, he caught up with our very own Doug McKain to talk about his rehab and how he’s feeling. He told McKain that he’s finally feeling like himself again — his spring training self.
“Finally felt like myself from spring training,” Pepiot said. “The first few rehab starts, getting back out there, definitely a little bit of rust. … I feel like mechanically, pitch-wise, I’m about as close to that as I’ve been.”
Via Dodgers Nation YouTube
The timing couldn’t have been any better for Pepiot and the Dodgers, as Saturday morning, RHP Tony Gonsolin was placed on the injured list with an elbow injury that’ll likely end his season.
With Gonsolin out, the Dodgers have a clear opening in their rotation — something Pepiot will be able to snatch with a strong performance on Saturday.
You can watch the full interview with Pepiot by clicking the video at the top of the article, or by clicking here. And I highly recommend you watch, as McKain and Pepiot had a great conversation touching on tons of interesting topics.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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