The Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen is worn down after a long stretch of recent usage, and the team is preparing a roster move.
The Dodgers are in the middle of a tough run, playing from August 7th all the way until August 19th without an off-day.
The offense has not driven in many runs in August so far, sitting only 24th in total runs since the start of the month, and the pitching staff has been under pressure as a result.
Additionally, manager Dave Roberts has tried to manage more aggressively recently, hoping to get his team out of a rut and serve as a wake-up call for the postseason.
As a result, pitchers like Jack Dreyer, Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, and Edgardo Henriquez have featured a ton, hoping to preserve small leads or keep the team in the game by maintaining a small deficit.
Now, the Dodgers’ pitching staff is “ailing,” according to Roberts.
What roster move is coming for the Dodgers
The Dodgers will have Kyle Hurt, who was recently optioned down to Triple-A, on the taxi squad on Sunday.
His presence gives the bullpen a pitcher for Sunday’s game before the team heads out to Colorado.
However, Hurt was optioned less than two weeks ago, meaning the Dodgers will need to put a pitcher on the IL to add him to the squad.
Roberts did not offer details on who may be placed on the injured list.
When looking at the season-long stats, the three names that stand out as possible IL candidates are Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez, Jack Dreyer, and Tanner Scott, who are the four most-used pitchers out of the bullpen.
They have all pitched more than 42 innings this year, so they may need a few weeks to recover.
It could be Edwin Diaz or Evan Phillips, but they have spent most of the season on the injured list, making an injury less likely.
Regardless, if they do make a move, it will signal a team that is grinding out games and could use an offensive lift.
