Changed the LAD plan, 5-man rotation until pitcher Ohtani comes. Don't worry about the rest day of Amotosasaki!
Feb 15, 2025
|
|
Dodgers President Andrew Friedman said on the 15th (Korea time) "If Yamamoto and Sasaki are okay, we can accept any schedule. With the day off and the starting depth we have, we can be creative" he said.
Ohtani, who underwent surgery on his right elbow in September 2023 and was preoccupied with rehabilitation as a pitcher last year, also had surgery on his left shoulder after winning the World Series, and his rehabilitation is getting longer. As a result, the expected return time is in May. Until then, the Dodgers will maintain a five-man rotation.
In the case of Ohtani, he is registered as a "two-way player", so even if he returns as a pitcher, there is no need to exclude someone from the roster of pitchers with a maximum of 13 players. In other words, the Dodgers can use six starters and eight bullpens from the time Ohtani joins the rotation. It actually has 14 pitchers while keeping the upper limit of 13 pitchers on the pitcher's roster, because Ohtani, a combined pitching and hitting, is included in the fielder's roster.
|
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, `At this point, both May and Gonsolin are improving their condition well. The two are starting pitchers. I'll watch what they show in the spring training. There is still a lot of time left. There will be no impact on the five-man rotation until the opening game of the U.S. There is a lot of time until then."
In other words, Roberts, who plans to use Yamamoto and Sasaki as starters in the opening series against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, Japan, on March 18-19, will operate a five-man rotation from the first series of the U.S. continental series, March 28-30 against the Detroit Tigers.
Miller is actually the pitcher who is drawing attention as a candidate for the fifth starting pitcher. He had a strong debut season in 2023, throwing 124 ⅓ innings with 11 wins, 4 losses, a 3.76 ERA and 119 strikeouts, but last year, he started 13 games due to injuries and sluggishness, falling short of expectations with 2-4 losses and an 8.52 ERA.
|
According to the Dodgers' early season schedule, they have seven days off from the U.S. opening game on March 28 to May 2. This is why Yamamoto and Sasaki, who need more than five days of rest, can maintain a five-man rotation while securing an interval between their appearances. If you use the starting depth, you don't have to worry about the rotation of the two Japanese pitchers.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
