The Dodgers placed left-handed starter Alex Wood on the IL on Tuesday because of shoulder inflammation. He's been replaced on the active roster by right-hander Josh Sborz.
Wood, 29, is coming off a rough 2020 debut on Saturday, as he allowed three runs in as many innings while striking out four and walking three against a Giants lineup that hardly grades out as imposing. Wood is no stranger to injury woes, as he's dealt with shoulder, elbow, and forearm problems throughout his eight-year major league career. This marks his sixth trip to the IL/DL since the start of the 2016 season.
The loss of Wood comes as the Dodgers were already stretched thin in the rotation. Veteran lefty David Price opted out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19 concerns, and ace Clayton Kershaw was scratched from his scheduled Opening Day start because of back problems. Kershaw is already on the IL, and given his substantial recent history of lower back problems he's not exactly a known quantity moving forward (although he's angling for a return soon).
Besides Wood, the Dodgers have used three starters this season -- Dustin May, Ross Stripling and Julio Urias. Walker Buehler, very likely the Dodgers' best starting pitcher now that Kershaw appears to be in his soft decline phase, goes Tuesday against the Astros. Buehler was handled lightly during reopened spring training because he opted to stop throwing during the shutdown, and as such he may not be as stretched out as he normally would be. How much stamina he has in his early starts and of course how effective he is will be critical for the Dodgers in the early portion of the abbreviated 2020 season.
Even before these 2020 occurrences the Dodgers were already dealing with turnover in the rotation. Gone from last year's roster are Hyun-Jin Ryu, Kenta Maeda, Rich Hill and their combined 68 starts from 2019.
The Dodgers remain heavy favorites in the NL West, and of course this season the playoffs have been expanded to 16 teams. That said, the division may be more competitive than anticipated if the Padres are ready to take a step forward. Beyond that, there's a great deal of pressure on the Dodgers to do more than "merely" win an eighth straight division title -- they're "World Series or bust." As such, the potential for collapse in the rotation is a Dodgers subplot very much worth following as we work our way through the 60-game regular season.
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July 29, 2020 at 02:14AM
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Dodgers lose third starting pitcher as Alex Wood goes on injured list with shoulder inflammation - CBS Sports
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