Dodgers Not Considering Josiah Gray to Fill Fifth Rotation Spot
The Dodgers are probably going to be without Dustin May for a while. They still need to wait on the results of an MRI in Chicago today, but they’ll likely play it safe with him regardless of the severity. That being said, they have an obvious hole in their starting rotation.
The good news is that the schedule sort of works out in the Dodgers’ favor over the next couple of weeks. If the weather in Chicago goes poorly, it might work out even better. The built-in off days over the next 2 weeks make it possible to survive with a 4-man rotation, but it’s a stretch.
One option that immediately came to mind for Dodgers fans is top pitching prospect, Josiah Gray. It only makes sense given the need for a starter immediately. Oddly enough, Dave Roberts did not believe that he was a viable option at this time.
You know, we’re just not there yet. Obviously, he’s our top prospect and we think very well of Josiah. So we’re just not quite there yet.
The Dodgers choosing not to turn to Gray could be for a number of reasons. Tony Gonsolin is a guy being built back up as a starter and they expect him back sooner rather than later. So starting Gray’s service time clock for the sake of 2 weeks of starts might not be worth it at the moment.
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Gray could also just not be at a place where he is ready to start full games. With so little information coming out of the alternate site, the Dodgers might not think he’s built up. The Triple-A season does start this week though, so there should be more information on him soon.
Alternatively, the Dodgers could also be waiting for confirmation on the issue with Dustin May before proceeding. That information should be available this week.
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Probably no need to rush him at this point. Folks are starting to come back off the IL and even if he did pitch well, he’d just go back down in a week to 10 days. As much as I am ALWAYS suspicious of service time manipulation, I don”t think that is the case here. It would be different if we knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was ready (Bryant, Springer) . We don’t at this point.
Gray needs to come up. May will be out for a long time. You can’t mess with elbow injuries, regardless of MRI results. If Gray is a real prospect, bring him up. Forget the service time stuff, and the money game. He will be innings restricted anyway. Give him a taste of the big leagues, and let Gonsolin ease back into a workload. Then you can send Gray back down, but at least he will have some important MLB experience. You can’t let this guy sit on the shelf forever. There is a real and present need for him right now. Sure beats throwaway bullpen games, although Gray would probably start with 3 inning stints, and progress to no more than 5 innings.
Another starter needs to come from somewhere. I would like to see what he has got. The pattern lately is bring some guy in, he gets shelled, then he goes back down and another one comes in.