The Dodgers escaped a turbulent series at PNC Park in Pittsburgh with a series win over the Pirates, but Thursday’s victory was dulled somewhat with Shohei Ohtani leaving with left knee inflammation and pitcher Justin Wrobleski suffering a right hamstring contusion.
Wrobleski took a comebacker from Bryan Reynolds off the hamstring in the fifth inning, then nearly collided with Reynolds at first base on the infield single. Wrobleski told reporters after the game nothing came of the play at first base.
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“Thankfully he kind of got out of the way enough so that we barely touched each other,” Wrobleski said, as shown on SportsNet LA. “He’s okay, I’m okay.”
Ohtani felt discomfort in his left knee, the same knee he had surgery on in September 2019 to repair a bipartite patella. It’s unknown when Ohtani might have suffered the discomfort. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters it might have been on a stolen base attempt in the fourth inning, on a pitch Andy Pages fouled off, though he wasn’t sure.
Roberts was optimistic about Ohtani being in the lineup on Friday against the Chicago White Sox, depending on how he feels, and that Wrobleski would make his next start.
“We tried to be smart about it,” Roberts said, as shown on SportsNet LA. “I feel good about him being in there [Friday in Chicago] but obviously with the travel tonight, we’ll see how he comes in.”
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Optimism is one thing, and Roberts possesses it in spades, but there’s only so much one can know in the immediate aftermath of an injury. Will Smith, for instance, was scratched from last Saturday’s starting lineup at Dodger Stadium with a stiff neck. Roberts at the time noted Dalton Rushing was going to catch one of the games against the Angels anyway, and that Smith might be able to catch on Sunday. Then when Smith was held out of Sunday’s lineup, the classic logic of pairing time off with a scheduled off day prevailed, with the hope of three full days but only two games off might do the trick.
It didn’t work, as Smith’s neck pain persisted, and he was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday with neck inflammation. The move was retroactive to Monday, which means Smith could conceivably return as soon as the series at home against the Baltimore Orioles next weekend, June 19-21.
Chuckie Robinson got the call-up to fill in as the backup catcher. He told Kirsten Watson on SportsNet LA on Thursday that his grandfather grew up a Brooklyn Dodgers fan. Robinson, who last year had two stints on the 40-man roster and played in one game last September for the Dodgers before re-signing on a minor league deal in December was hitting .260/.321/.442 with four doubles, two home runs, and two triples for Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The plan for the 31-year-old Robinson is to catch once in each of the next two series — Friday against the White Sox, and Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays — Roberts told reporters prior to the series finale in Pittsburgh. Note this wrinkle though from Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
This was obviously before Ohtani’s knee inflammation, and we don’t yet know how his pitching (or hitting) plans might be affected by the injury. But Ohtani starting Wednesday — before a scheduled off day, as the Dodgers have done four times previously this year — would require a bit of rotation shuffling, as staying in order would have Ohtani start on Tuesday at home. So this means either Wrobleski moves up to start on four days rest — again, if his hamstring allows — something the Dodgers have only done once this season, or they opt for either a bullpen game or a spot start to cover Tuesday against Tampa Bay.
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River Ryan, conveniently enough, pitched on Wednesday this week for Triple-A Oklahoma City, and would be on five days rest on Tuesday.
Back to Thursday’s roster move for a moment. Chuckie Robinson was not on the 40-man roster, but room was created when infielder/outfielder Tyler Fitzgerald was released by the Dodgers on Wednesday. The former Giants utility man was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays on April 28 for cash considerations, and hit .293/.400/.598 with a 146 wRC+, six home runs and seven doubles in 24 games for Oklahoma City. Fitzgerald, 28, with the Comets started games at third base, second base, shortstop, left field and right field.
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