The Los Angeles Dodgers (18-11) are off to a hot start, as they currently hold a four-game lead for first place in the NL West. However, as Los Angeles is stacking wins, it's also stacking pitchers on the injured list.
The club made a series of roster moves Saturday due to a major injury, via Jack Harris of the LA Times.
“Nabil Crismatt has been called up. Nick Ramirez was optioned,” tweeted Harris. “And Kyle Hurt was transferred to the 60-day injured list. That makes it six Dodgers pitchers currently on the 60-day IL.”
Hurt's injury particularly hurts for Los Angeles, as the right-hander has given up just one run across 6.2 innings pitched this year. This was supposed to be the Dodgers 2023 Minor League Pitcher of the Year's first full season in the majors, but now he'll have to focus on healing from right shoulder inflammation. The earliest he could return is June 16th.
Ramirez was originally called up when Hurt was placed on the 15-day IL on April 20th. Now that Hurt's been moved to the 60-day IL, the southpaw will be sent back down to Triple-A Oklahoma City for the second time this season. Ramirez had been making the most of his limited opportunities with the Dodgers, allowing just one run across seven innings.
However, this opens the door for Crismatt, who's been consistent in both the majors and minors this year. When combining his stats from both levels, the right-hander has fanned 18 hitters with a 30.5% strikeout rate and no walks.
Will these moves help finally lock in a long-term pitching staff for Los Angeles this year? Or will there be more chaos down the line?
Expect more roster moves as Dodgers pitchers continue to heal
The Dodgers now have Hurt, Brusdar Graterol, Emmet Sheehan, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, and Dustin May all on the 60-day IL. This is a significant portion of their pitching staff unavailable until at least the summer, with the latter three being especially prominent names. Additionally, this will continue to create roster chaos as the season progresses.
As those players do eventually return, fringe hurlers like Crismatt will be highly at risk of being sent back down to the minors. The next few weeks will serve as an audition for the 29-year-old, and he'll have little margin for error. If he can prove himself as a diamond in the rough over extended action, it will be difficult for the organization to send him back to Oklahoma City.
Crismatt didn't appear in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, but there's a high chance he could take the mound in Sunday's contest. The Dodgers are scheduled to use a bullpen game to rest veteran pitcher James Paxton, via SB Nation.
While Los Angeles has been able to keep winning despite its injuries on the mound, it'll need to eventually heal up at that position if it hopes to win its first World Series since the COVID-shortened 2020 season. There's still plenty of time, but the club can't count on a shorthanded pitching staff in October.
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