Los Angeles Dodgers fans won't get to see highly-touted pitching prospects Julio Urias or Jose De Leon make their MLB debuts early on in the 2016 season (obviously, barring a significant change). The two pitchers were assigned to the team's minor league camp on Thursday.
While the move comes as little surprise, many were steeped with anticipation that one of the two may have had a good chance to make the Opening Day roster due to the Dodgers' woes in the starting rotation. However, neither performed well enough or consistently enough to sway manager Dave Roberts.
The first-year skipper already named four starters to the rotation and all but confirmed Urias will not be in the running to grab the No. 5 spot. Roberts said that Clayton Kershaw, Scott Kazmir, Kenta Maeda and Alex Wood are guaranteed jobs and "then we'll figure out the last spot."
That competition will likely be between Brandon Beachy (5 IP, 0 ER in three games), Mike Bolsinger (9 IP, 2 ER in three games) and Zach Lee (8 IP, 4 ER in three games).
However, all hope isn't lost for Urias and De Leon in terms of making their MLB debuts early on. Kazmir is currently dealing with significant velocity issues, Wood is experiencing forearm tightness (although his outing on Thursday went well), and the effectiveness of the team's potential No. 5 starter is just as big a mystery to us as it is to Roberts.
Urias, 19, made his second spring training appearance with the club this year, and his first inning with the team went swimmingly. He struck out the side against the Los Angeles Angels, and the coaching staff was impressed with his command.
However, in the two innings that followed that (combined over two appearances), the left-hander allowed four earned runs on five hits and a walk. His opponents batted .357 off him in those frames, and he didn't record another strikeout.
As for De Leon, it was his first spring training ever. The right-hander logged an impressive outing last weekend and tossed two scoreless innings while striking out for and allowing just two hits. But like Urias, the right-hander allowed five earned runs on seven hits (including three home runs) in the other four innings he recorded on the mound. He finished with three appearances overall and struck out five batters.
Roberts was still impressed with both youngsters, but it's clear that they have some developing to do before arriving at The Show.
